m  smhiHS  t! 


S7^v      ^\ 


Digitized  by  tlie  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  witli  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


littp://www.arcliive.org/details/fainoussingersoftOOIalieiala 


FAMOUS  SINGERS  OF  TO-DAY 
AND  YESTERDAY 


Music  Lovers*  Series 

Great  G)mposefs  and  Theif  Work 

Famous  Singers  of  To-day  and  Yes- 
terday 

Famous  Violinists  of  To-day  and  Yes- 
terday 

The  National  Music  of  America  and  Its 
Sources 

L.  C  PAGE  AND  COMPANY 

(Incorporated) 

2J2  Summer  St.,  Boston,  Mass. 


'■^yOj  ..^^' 


Famous  Singers  of  To-day 
and  Yesterday 

By 
Henry  C.  Lahee 

ILLUSTRATED 


Boston 
L.  C.  P^e  and  Company 

(Incorporated) 
1898 


Copyright,  i8g8 
By  L.  C.  Page  and  Company 

(incorporated) 
All  rights  reserved 


(&jIontal  Pwoj: 

Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  C.  H.  Simonds  &  Co. 
Boston,  U.  S.  A. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  FACK 


Preface      

I.     From  1600  to  1800  A.  D. 
II.     Pasta  to  Mario 

III.  Mario  to  Tietiens  . 

IV.  Prima  Donnas  of  the  Fifties 
V.     Prima  Donnas  of  the  Sixties 

VI.     Prima  Donnas  of  the  Seventies 
VII.     Prima  Donnas  of  the  Eighties 
VIII.     Tenors  and  Baritones    . 
IX.    Contraltos  and  Bassos  . 

Chronological   Table  of  Famous 

Singers       .... 
Index  


Vll 

II 

n 

no 

143 
186 

220 
260 
296 

32s 

333 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGK 

Calv6  as  Santuzza      .        .        .        Frontispiece 

Jenny  Lind 84 

Jean  de  Reszke  as  Romeo         ...      98 

Adelina  Patti 128 

NiLssoN  AS  Valentine         .        .        .        .162 

Lillian  Nordica 220 

Melba  as  Ophelia 244 

Emma  Eames 258 

Edouard  de  Reszke  as  Mephistopheles     272 

Alvary  in  Rigoletto 280 

Sofia  Scalchi 300 

PLANgON  as   RAMFIS  IN  AlOA        .  ,  .      318 


PREFACE. 

It  has  been  the  desire  of  the  author  to 
give,  in  a  book  of  modest  dimensions,  as 
complete  a  •  record  as  possible  of  the 
"  Famous  Singers"  from  the  establish- 
ment of  Italian  Opera  down  to  the  present 
day.  The  majority  are  opera  singers,  but 
in  a  few  cases  oratorio  and  concert  singers 
of  exceptional  celebrity  have  been  mentioned 
also. 

To  give  complete  biographical  sketches 
of  all  singers  of  renown  would  require  a 
work  of  several  large  volumes,  and  all  that 
can  be  attempted  here  is  to  give  a  mere 
"bird's-eye  view"  of  those  whose  names 
exist  as  singers  of  international  repute. 

For    much    information    concerning    the 


viii  Preface. 

earlier  celebrities  the  author  is  indebted 
to  Clayton's  "  Queens  of  Song,"  "  Great 
Singers"  by  Ferris,  and  "The  Prima 
Donna"  by  Sutherland  Edwards,  in  which 
interesting  volumes  much  will  be  found  at 
length  which  is  greatly  condensed  in  this 
little  volume.  To  Maurice  Strakosch's 
"  Souvenirs  d'un  Impresario,"  and  to 
"Mapleson's  Memoirs,"  the  writer  owes 
something  also  in  the  way  of  anecdote  and 
fact  concerning  many  singers  of  the  latter 
half  of  this  century. 

As  it  is  impossible  to  give  biographical 
sketches  of  more  than  a  comparatively 
small  number  of  singers  who  have  achieved 
renown,  the  work  is  supplemented  by  a 
chronological  table  which  is  more  compre- 
hensive. No  such  table  can,  however,  be 
perfect.  For  singers  of  the  past  the  follow- 
ing authorities  have  been  used :  "  Grove's 
Dictionary  of  Music  and  Musicians,"  C. 
Egerton    Lowe's   "Chronological    Cyclopae- 


Preface.  iz 

dia  of  Musicians  and  Musical  Events," 
James  D.  Brown's  "  Biographical  Diction- 
ary of  Musicians,"  and  "A  Hundred  Years 
of  Music  in  America." 

Concerning  singers  of  later  times,  who 
have  risen  to  fame  since  those  works  were 
compiled,  such  items  have  been  used  as  could 
be  found  in  the  newspapers  and  magazines 
of  their  day,  and  the  information  is  of  neces- 
sity imperfect.  It  is  nevertheless  hoped  that 
the  table  may  be  of  some  use  as  carrying  the 
history  of  famous  singers  some  years  beyond 
anything  hitherto  published  in  book  form, 
and  it  has  been  the  desire  of  the  author  to 
make  the  book  interesting  alike  to  student 
and  amateur. 


FAMOUS   SINGERS  OF  TO-DAY 
AND  YESTERDAY. 


CHAPTER   I. 

FROM    1600   TO    1800  A.  D. 

The  year  1600  marked  the  beginning  of 
a  new  era  in  musical  history,  for  in  that 
year  the  first  public  performance  of  regular 
opera  took  place  in  Florence,  when  the 
"  Eurydice "  of  Rinuccini  and  Peri  was 
given  in  honor  of  the  wedding  of  Marie 
de'  Medici  and  Henry  IV.  of  France.  The 
growth  and  ever-increasing  popularity  of 
the  opera,  the  development  of  civilization, 
the  increase  of  wealth  and  the  population  of 
new  countries,  have  led  not  only  to  the  high- 
II 


12  Famous  Singers. 

est  cultivation  of  the  human  voice,  wherein 
music  exerts  its  greatest  power  of  fascina- 
tion, but  have  brought  forward  hundreds  of 
competitors  for  the  artistic  laurels  which  are 
the  reward  of  those  who  reach  the  highest 
state  of  musical  perfection. 

For  nearly  a  century  opera  was  confined 
to  the  continent  of  Europe,  but  in  1691 
Margarita  de  L'Epine,  a  native  of  Tuscany, 
appeared  in  London.  She  was  remarkable 
for  her  plainness  of  speech  and  of  features, 
her  rough  manners  and  swarthy  appearance, 
and  she  must  indeed  have  been  possessed 
of  a  fine  voice  to  have  been  able  to  retain 
her  hold  on  public  favor.  In  1692  she 
announced  her  last  appearance,  but  it  was 
so  successful  that  she  kept  on  giving  last 
appearances  and  did  not  leave  England  for 
several  years,  thus  inaugurating  a  custom 
which  is  observed  to  the  present  day. 
Margarita  married  the  celebrated  Doctor 
Pepusch. 


From  1600  to  1800  A.  D.  13 

Contemporary  with  her  was  Katharine 
Tofts,  an  English  woman,  for  an  account 
of  whom  we  are  indebted  to  CoUey  Gibber, 
the  great  critic  and  playwright.  She  was 
a  very  beautiful  woman  with  an  exquisitely 
clear,  sweet  voice.  Her  career  was  short, 
for,  after  having  achieved  a  tremendous 
success  in  one  of  her  parts,  she  became 
demented,  and,  though  eventually  cured,  she 
never  returned  to  the  stage.  There  was  a 
lively  rivalry  between  the  two  singers,  which 
furnished  gossip  for  the  town. 

Anastasia  Robinson,  mild  and  pleasing  in 
manners,  with  great  sweetness  of  expression 
and  large  blue  eyes,  was  engaged  to  sing  by 
George  Frederick  Handel,  who  at  that  time 
was  the  impresario  of  the  London  opera. 
Other  singers  he  engaged  in  Dresden,  of 
whom  Margherita  Durastanti  was  the  so- 
prano. Large,  coarse,  and  masculine,  she 
is  said  to  have  been  distinguished  as  much 
for  the  high  respectability  of  her  character 


14  Famous  Singers. 

as  for  her  musical  talent.  Senesino  was 
considered  the  leading  tenor  singer  of  his 
day.  He  was  a  man  of  imposing  figure  and 
majestic  carriage,  with  a  clear,  powerful, 
equal,  and  fluent  voice.  The  basso  was 
Boschi,  who  was  chiefly  remarkable  for  a 
voice  of  immense  volume  and  a  very  vigor- 
ous style  of  acting. 

Anastasia  Robinson  was  eclipsed,  after  a 
career  of  twelve  years,  by  Francesca  Cuzzoni, 
and  married  the  Earl  of  Peterborough.  She 
left  a  reputation  for  integrity  and  goodness 
seldom  enjoyed  by  even  the  highest  celeb- 
rities. Cuzzoni  made  an  immediate  and 
immense  success,  and  Handel  took  great 
pains  to  compose  airs  adapted  to  display 
her  exquisite  voice.  She,  in  return,  treated 
him  with  insolence  and  caprice,  so  that  he 
looked  about  for  another  singer.  His  choice 
fell  upon  Faustina  Bordoni,  a  Venetian  lady 
who  had  risen  to  fame  in  Italy.  She  was 
elegant  in  figure,  agreeable  in  manners,  and 


From  1600  to  1800  A.  D.  15 

had  a  handsome  face.  Cuzzoni,  on  the 
other  hand,  was  ill  made  and  homely,  and 
her  temper  was  turbulent  and  obstinate.  A 
bitter  rivalry  at  once  sprang  up,  Handel 
fanning  the  flame  by  composing  for  Bordoni 
as  diligently  as  he  had  pfeviously  done  for 
CuzzonL 

The  public  was  soon  divided,  and  the 
rivalry  was  carried  to  an  absurd  point.  At 
length  the  singers  actually  came  to  blows, 
and  so  fierce  was  the  conflict  that  the 
bystanders  were  unable  to  separate  them 
until  each  combatant  bore  substantial  marks 
of  the  other's  esteem.  Cuzzoni  was  then 
dispensed  with,  and  went  to  Vienna.  She 
was  reckless  and  extravagant,  and  was  at 
several  times  imprisoned  for  debt,  finally 
dying  in  frightful  indigence  after  subsist- 
ing by  button  making,  —  a  sad  termination 
of  a  brilliant  career.  Bordoni  led  a  prosper- 
ous life,  married  Adolfo  Hasse,  the  director 
of  the  orchestra  in   Dresden,  sang  before 


V 


i6  Famous  Singers. 

Frederick  the  Great,  and  passed  a  comforta- 
ble old  age.  Both  she  and  her  husband  died 
in  1783,  she  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  and 
he  at  eighty-four. 

Other  singers  of  this  period  were  Lavinia 
Fenton,  who  became  the  Duchess  of  Bolton, 
and  who  is  chiefly  remarkable  for  having 
been  the  original  Polly  in  Gay's  "Beggar's 
Opera;"  Marthe  le  Rochois,  who  sang  many 
of  Lulli's  operas,  —  a  woman  of  ordinary  ap- 
pearance but  wonderful  magnetism ;  Madame 
La  Maupin,  one  of  the  wildest,  most  adven- 
turous and  reckless  women  ever  on  the 
stage ;  and  Caterina  Mingotti,  a  faultless 
singer,  of  respectable  habits.  Mingotti  was 
seized  with  the  fatal  ambition  to  manage 
opera,  and  soon  reached  the  verge  of  bank- 
ruptcy. She  contrived,  however,  to  earn 
enough  by  singing  during  the  succeeding 
five  years  to  support  her  respectably  in 
her  old  age. 

To  this  period  also  belongs   Farinelli,  or 


From  1600  to  1800  A.  D.  17 

Broschi,  who  was  the  greatest  tenor  of  his 
age,  perhaps  the  greatest  who  ever  lived, 
for  we  are  told  that  there  was  no  branch 
of  his  art  which  he  did  not  carry  to  the 
highest  pitch  of  perfection.  His  career  of 
three  years  in  London  was  a  continuous 
triumph,  and  he  is  said  to  have  made 
;^5,ooo  each  year,  —  a  very  large  sum  in 
those  days.  His  singing  also  restored  to 
health  Philip  V.  of  Spain,  who  was  a  prey 
to  depression,  and  neglected  all  the  affairs 
of  his  kingdom.  At  the  court  of  Spain  his 
influence  became  immense  until  Charles  HI. 
ascended  the  throne,  when  Farinelli  quitted 
Spain,  "  at  the  royal  suggestion,"  and  retired 
to  Bologna. 

Of  the  long  list  of  men  who  have  dis- 
tinguished themselves  as  singers  in  opera, 
it  is  curious  to  note  that  almost,  if  not  quite, 
the  first  were  a  Mario  and  a  Nicolini,  names 
which  are  familiar  to  us  as  belonging  to  well- 
known  tenors  of  this  (nineteenth)  century. 


1 8  Famous  Singers. 

Of  Mario  but  little  is  recorded ;  but  Nicolini, 
whose  full  name  was  Nicolino  Grimaldi  Nico- 
lini, and  who  was  born  in  1673,  is  known  to 
have  sung  at  Rome  in  1694.  He  remained 
on  the  stage  until  1726,  but  the  date  of  his 
death  is  unknown.  Nicolini  sang  in  England 
in  1708,  and  at  several  subsequent  times, 
and  was  well  received.  Addison  wrote  of 
him,  concerning  his  acting,  that  "he  gave 
new  majesty  to  kings,  resolution  to  heroes, 
and  softness  to  lovers." 

Caterina  Gabrielli  was  the  daughter  of  a 
cook  of  the  celebrated  Cardinal  Gabrielli, 
and  was  bom  at  Rome,  November  12,  1730. 
She  possessed  an  unusual  share  of  beauty,  a 
fine  voice,  and  an  accurate  ear.  She  made 
her  first  appearance  when  seventeen  years 
old  at  the  theatre  of  Lucca,  in  Galuppi's 
opera,  "Sofonisba."  She  was  intelligent  and 
witty,  full  of  liveliness  and  grace,  and  an 
excellent  actress.  Her  voice,  though  not 
powerful,  was  of  exquisite  quality  and  won- 


From  1600  to  1800  A.  D.  19 

derful  extent,  its  compass  being  nearly  two 
octaves  and  a  half,  and  perfectly  equable 
throughout,  while  her  facility  of  vocalization 
was  extraordinary.  Her  fame  was  immedi- 
ately established,  and  soon  she  had  all  mankind 
at  her  feet ;  but  she  proved  to  be  coquettish, 
deceitful,  and  extravagant.  No  matter  with 
whom  she  came  in  contact,  she  compelled 
them  to  give  way  to  her  whims.  On  one 
occasion  she  refused  to  sing  for  the  viceroy 
of  Sicily,  and  was  therefore  committed  to 
prison  for  twelve  days,  where  she  gave  costly 
entertainments,  paid  the  debts  of  her  fellow 
prisoners,  and  distributed  large  sums  amongst 
the  indigent.  Besides  this,  she  sang  all  her 
best  songs  in  her  finest  style  every  day,  until 
the  term  of  her  imprisonment  expired,  when 
she  came  forth  amid  the  shouts  of  the  grateful 
poor  whom  she  had  benefited  while  in  jail. 
Despite  her  extravagance  Gabrielli  had  a 
good  heart.  She  gave  largely  in  charity, 
and  never  forgot  her  parents.     Having  by 


20  Famous  Singers. 

degrees  lost  both  voice  and  beauty,  Gabrielli 
retired  finally  to  Bologna  in  1780,  and  died 
there  in  April,  1796,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six. 

In  the  room  in  Paris  in  which  the  unfortu- 
nate Admiral  Coligny  had  been  murdered, 
was  born  on  February  14,  1744,  the  beauti- 
ful, witty,  but  dissipated  Sophie  Arnould. 
At  the  age  of  twelve  her  voice,  which  was 
remarkable  for  power  and  purity,  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  Princess  de  Modena, 
through  whose  influence  she  was  engaged 
to  sing  in  the  king's  chapel.  In  1757  she 
made  her  first  appearance  in  opera,  when 
her  beauty  and  her  acting  enabled  her  to 
carry  everything  before  her. 

The  opera  was  besieged  whenever  her 
name  was  announced,  and  all  the  gentlemen 
of  Paris  contested  for  the  honor  of  throwing 
bouquets  at  her  feet.  At  length  she  eloped 
with  Count  Lauraguais,  a  handsome,  dashing 
young  fellow,  full  of  wit  and  daring.  Her 
home  resembled  a  httle  court,  of  which  she 


From  1600  to  1800  A.  D.  21 

was  the  reigning  sovereign,  and  her  salon 
was  always  crowded  by  men  of  the  highest 
distinction.  When  Benjamin  Franklin  ar- 
rived in  Paris,  he  confessed  that  nowhere 
did  he  find  such  pleasure,  such  wit,  such 
brilliancy,  as  in  the  salon  of  Mile.  Arnould. 
She  remained  faithful  to  her  lover  for  four 
years,  when  he  bestowed  on  her  a  life-pension 
of  2,000  crowns.  While  she  never  spared 
any  one  in  the  exercise  of  her  wit,  she  was 
occasionally  the  subject  of  ridicule  herself, 
as,  for  instance,  when  the  Abb^  Galiani  was 
asked  his  opinion  of  her  singing,  and  replied, 
"  It  is  the  finest  asthma  I  ever  heard." 

Sophie  Arnould  appeared  in  several  of 
Gluck's  operas,  and  acquitted  herself  to  the 
satisfaction  of  the  composer.  Her  voice  had 
not  apparently  fulfilled  early  expectations, 
but  her  beauty  and  her  acting  made  her  a 
success.  When  Voltaire  one  day  said  to 
her,  "Ah,  mademoiselle,  I  am  eighty-four 
years   old,    and   I   have    committed    eighty- 


22  Famous  Singers. 

four  follies,"  she  replied,  "A  mere  trifle; 
I  am  not  yet  forty,  and  I  have  committed 
more  than  a  thousand." 

In  1792  she  purchased  the  presbyt^re  of 
Clignancourt,  Luzarches  (Seine-et-Oise).  She 
had  a  fortune  of  30,000  livres  and  innumera- 
ble friends,  but  in  less  than  two  years  she 
had  lost  her  fortune,  and  her  friends  being 
dispersed  by  exile,  imprisonment,  and  the 
scaffold  during  the  Revolution,  she  was  re- 
duced to  the  lowest  stage  of  poverty.  She 
went  to  Paris  and  sought  an  interview  with 
Fouche,  now  a  great  man,  who  had  been  one 
of  her  most  ardent  admirers.  He  awarded 
her  a  pension  of  2,400  livres,  and  ordered 
that  apartments  should  be  given  her  in  the 
Hdtel  d'Angevilliers.  In  1803  she  died  in 
obscurity. 

Among  the  celebrated  male  singers  of  this 
period  were  Gasparo  Pacchierotti,  and  Gio- 
vanni Battista  Rubinelli.  The  former  of 
these  was  considered  to  have  been  the  finest 


From  1600  to  1800  A.  D.  23 

singer  of  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth 
century.  Endowed  with  a  vivid  imagination, 
uncommon  intelligence,  and  profound  sensi- 
bility, a  tall  and  lean  figure,  a  voice  which 
was  often  uncertain  and  nasal,  he  required 
much  determination  and  strength  of  charac- 
ter to  overcome  the  defects  and  take  advan- 
tage of  the  good  qualities  which  nature  had 
bestowed  upon  him.  Yet  he  is  described  by 
Lord  Mt.  Edgecumbe  as  "  decidedly  the  most 
perfect  singer  it  ever  fell  to  his  lot  to  hear," 

Rubinelli,  on  the  other  hand,  from  his  full- 
ness of  voice  and  simplicity  of  style  pleased 
a  greater  number  than  Pacchierotti,  though 
none  perhaps  so  exquisitely  as  that  singer. 
Rubinelli's  articulation  was  so  pure  and  well 
accented  that  in  his  recitatives  no  one  con- 
versant with  the  Italian  language  ever  had 
occasion  to  look  at  a  libretto  while  he  was 
singing.  His  style  was  true  cantabile,  in 
which  he  was  unexcelled. 

Upon  the  retirement  of  Sophie  Arnould 


24  Famous  Singers. 

a.  new  star  appeared  in  the  person  of  Antoi- 
nette Cecile  Clavel  St.  Huberty,  the  daughter 
of  a  brave  old  soldier  who  was  also  a 
musician.  Her  first  appearances  in  opera 
were  made  in  Warsaw,  where  her  father,  M. 
Clavel,  was  engaged  as  repetitor  to  a  French 
company.  From  Warsaw  she  went  to  Ber- 
lin, where  she  married  a  certain  Chevalier  de 
Croisy,  after  which  she  sang  for  three  years 
at  Strasbourg.  At  last  she  went  to  Paris, 
where  she  appeared  in  i  yyy  in  Gluck's  "  Ar- 
mida."  Madame  St.  Huberty  did  not  rush 
meteor-like  into  public  favor.  Her  success 
was  gained  after  years  of  patient  labor,  dur- 
ing which  she  endured  bitter  poverty,  and 
sang  only  minor  parts.  In  person  she  was 
small,  thin,  and  fair;  her  features  were  not 
finely  formed,  and  her  mouth  was  of  unusual 
size,  but  her  countenance  was  expressive. 
In  1783  she  reached  the  summit  of  her  suc- 
cess, when  she  appeared  in  the  title  r61e  of 
Piccini's  opera,  "Dodon."     Louis  XVI.,  who 


From  1600  to  1800  A.  D.  25 

did  not  much  care  for  opera,  had  it  performed 
twice,  and  was  so  much  pleased  that  he 
granted  Madame  St.  Huberty  a  pension  of 
1,500  livres,  to  which  he  added  one  of  five 
hundred  more  from  his  privy  purse.  Con- 
cerning her  performance  of  this  part  we  are 
told  by  Grimm,  "  Never  has  there  been 
united  acting  more  captivating,  a  sensibility 
more  perfect,  singing  more  exquisite,  happier 
byplay,  and  more  noble  abandon." 

In  1 790  Madame  St.  Huberty  retired  from 
the  operatic  stage  and  married  Count  d'En- 
traigues.  After  a  political  career  in  Spain 
and  Russia,  during  which  the  count  and  his 
wife  passed  through  some  trying  vicissitudes, 
they  settled  in  England,  but  on  the  22d  of 
July,  1 8 1 2,  both  the  count  and  countess  were 
assassinated  by  a  servant,  who  had  been 
bribed  by  an  agent  of  Fouch6  to  obtain  cer- 
tain papers  in  their  possession. 

Gertrude  Elizabeth  Mara  was  the  daughter 
of  Johann  Schmaling,  a  respectable  musician 


26  Famous  Singers. 

of  Hesse  Cassel.  Her  mother  died  shortly 
after  her  birth  in  1749,  but  her  father  out  of 
his  hmited  means  gave  her  the  best  education 
he  could.  As  she  was  considered  a  prodigy 
her  father  took  her  from  town  to  town  till 
they  reached  Holland,  where,  after  perform- 
ing for  some  time,  they  went  to  England, 
Thence,  after  earning  some  money  by  giving 
concerts,  they  travelled  to  Germany,  arriving 
at  Leipzig  in  1766,  where  the  young  singer 
obtained  an  engagement  at  the  theatre  as 
first  singer,  at  a  salary  of  six  hundred  dollars. 
From  this  time  she  continued  to  prosper, 
and  she  quite  captivated  that  opinionated 
monarch,  Frederick  the  Great. 

In  1773  she  fell  in  love  with,  and  married, 
a  handsome  violoncellist  named  Jean  Mara. 
He  was  a  showy,  extravagant  man,  and  fell 
into  dissipated  habits,  but  through  all 
Madame  Mara  was  devoted  to  him. 

Her  personal  appearance  was  far  from 
striking.     She  was  short  and   insignificant, 


From  1600  to  1800  A.  D.  27 

with  an  agreeable,  good-natured  counte- 
nance. Her  manner,  however,  was  prepos- 
sessing, though  she  was  an  indifferent 
actress.  But  her  voice  atoned  for  every- 
thing. Its  compass  was  from  G  to  E  in 
altissimo,  which  she  ran  with  the  greatest 
ease  and  force,  the  tones  being  at  once 
powerful  and  sweet.  Her  success  she  owed 
to  her  untiring  industry.  Nothing  taxed  her 
powers,  her  execution  was  easy  and  neat, 
her  shake  was  true,  open,  and  liquid,  and 
though  she  preferred  brilliant  pieces,  her 
refined  taste  was  well  known. 

In  England  she  gathered  many  laurels,  as 
well  as  in  Germany  and  other  countries 
which  she  visited,  but  she  came  into  collision 
with  the  authorities  at  Oxford,  on  account  of 
her  ignorance  of  the  English  language  and 
of  Oxford  customs. 

On  leaving  England  she  sang  at  a  farewell 
concert  which  netted  seven  hundred  pounds, 
and  her  rival,  Mrs.  Billington,  generously  gave 


28  Famous  Singers. 

her  services.  Madame  Mara  passed  the  last 
years  of  her  life  at  Revel,  where  she  died, 
January,  1833,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five.  On 
the  celebration  of  her  eighty-third  birthday 
she  was  offered  a  poetical  tribute  by  no  less 
a  person  than  Goethe. 

Of  Madame  Mara's  contemporary  male 
singers  Luigi  Marchesi  is  entitled  to  men- 
tion, for  he  had,  within  three  years  of  his 
debut,  the  reputation  of  being  the  best 
singer  in  Italy,  He  visited  all  Europe, 
even  penetrating  to  St.  Petersburg,  in  com- 
pany with  Sarti  and  Todi.  Besides  his 
wonderful  vocal  powers,  which  enabled  him 
to  execute  the  most  marvellous  embellish- 
ments, he  was  noted  for  great  beauty  of  per- 
son, and  for  the  grace  and  propriety  of  his 
gestures. 

Crescentini,  too,  who  was  considered  the 
last  great  singer  of  his  school,  sang  at  all 
the  chief  cities  of  Europe,  and  was  given 
by    Napoleon    the    Iron    Cross,    an    honor 


From  1600  to  1800  A.  D.  29 

which  aroused  many  jealousies.  "  Nothing 
could  exceed,"  says  Fetis,  "the  suavity  of 
his  tones,  the  force  of  his  expression,  the 
perfect  taste  of  his  ornaments,  or  the  large 
style  of  his  phrasing."  For  several  years 
after  his  retirement  he  was  a  professor  at 
the  Royal  College  of  Music  at  Naples. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Billington  was  considered 
to  be  the  finest  singer  ever  born  in  England. 
Her  father  was  a  member  of  the  Italian 
Opera  orchestra  named  Weichsel,  and  her 
mother,  a  pupil  of  John  Christian  Bach,  was 
a  leading  vocalist  at  Vauxhall,  whose  voice 
was  noted  for  a  certain  reediness  of  tone, 
caused,  it  is  said,  by  her  having  practised 
with  the  oboe,  —  her  husband's  instrument. 

Elizabeth  Weichsel  was  born  in  1770,  and 
began  to  compose  pieces  for  the  pianoforte 
when  eleven  years  of  age.  At  fourteen,  she 
appeared  at  a  concert  at  Oxford.  She  con- 
tinued her  study  of  the  piano  under  Thomas 
Billington,  one  of  the  band  of  Drury  Lane, 


3©  Famous  Singers. 

to  whom  she  was  married  in  1785,  in  opposi- 
tion to  the  wishes  of  her  parents.  They 
were  very  poor,  and  went  to  Dublin  to  seek 
engagements,  and  here  Mrs.  Billington  ap- 
peared at  a  theatre  in  Smock  Alley,  singing 
with  the  celebrated  Tenduccini.  Her  early 
efforts  were  not  crowned  with  the  greatest 
success,  but  she  did  better  at  Waterford, 
and  later  on,  when  she  returned  to  London, 
she  was  still  more  successful. 

Her  voice  was  a  pure  soprano,  sweet 
rather  than  powerful,  of  extraordinary  ex- 
tent and  quality  in  its  upper  notes,  in  which 
it  had  somewhat  the  tone  color  of  a  flute  or 
flageolet.  In  her  manner  she  was  peculiarly 
bewitching.  Her  face  and  figure  were  beau- 
tiful, and  her  countenance  full  of  good  hu- 
mor, but  she  had  comparatively  little  talent 
as  an  actress.  In  1786  she  first  appeared  at 
Covent  Garden,  in  the  presence  of  the  king 
and  queen,  and  her  success  was  beyond  her 
most  sanguine  anticipations.     She  sang  in  a 


From  1600  to  1800  A.  D.  31 

resplendently  brilliant  style,  and  brilliancy 
was  an  innovation  in  English  singing. 

Mrs.  Billington  one  day  received  a  great 
compliment  from  Haydn,  the  composer. 
Reynolds,  the  painter,  was  finishing  her 
portrait,  and  Haydn,  on  seeing  it,  said : 
"You  have  made  a  mistake.  You  have 
represented  Mrs.  Billington  listening  to  the 
angels ;  you  should  have  made  the  angels 
listening  to  her." 

In  1796,  while  in  Italy,  Mr.  Billington 
died  in  a  sudden  and  mysterious  manner. 
Soon  afterwards  his  widow  went  to  Milan, 
where  she  fell  in  love  with  a  Frenchman,  the 
son  of  a  banker  in  Lyons,  named  Pelican. 
He  was  a  remarkably  handsome  man,  but  no 
sooner  were  they  married  (in  1799)  than  he 
commenced  to  treat  her  most  brutally,  and 
eventually  she  was  obliged  to  run  away  from 
him.  She  returned  to  London  under  the 
care  of  her  brother. 

On  reaching  London,  a  lively  competition 


32  Famous  Singers. 

for  her  services  began  between  Harris  and 
Sheridan,  the  theatrical  managers.  She 
gave  the  preference  to  Harris,  and  received 
;^3,ooo  to  sing  three  times  a  week,  also 
a  free  benefit  was  ensured  at  ;i^500,  and  a 
place  for  her  brother  as  leader  of  the  band. 
Eventually,  however,  the  dispute  was  ended 
by  arbitration,  and  it  was  decided  that  she 
should  sing  alternately  at  each  house.  At 
the  height  of  her  popularity  Mrs,  Billing- 
ton  is  said  to  have  averaged  an  income  of 
j^  1 4,000  a  year. 

She  retired  from  the  stage  on  March  30, 
1806,  on  which  occasion  she  was  the  first  to 
introduce  Moza,rt's  music  into  England,  giv- 
ing the  opera,  "  Clemenza  di  Tito,"  of  which 
there  was  only  one  manuscript  copy  in  Eng- 
land. That  belonged  to  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
who  lent  it  for  the  occasion.  After  a  separa- 
tion of  fifteen  years,  Mrs.  Billington  was 
reunited  to  her  second  husband,  but  he  at 
once  resumed  his  brutal  treatment,  and  her 


From  1600  to  1800  A.  D.  33 

death,  in  181 8,  was  caused  by  a  blow  from 
his  hand. 

One  of  the  most  popular  and  charming 
singers  at  La  Scala,  in  the  Carnival  of  1 794, 
was  Giusseppa  Grassini,  the  daughter  of  a 
farmer  of  Varese  in  Lombardy,  where  she 
was  born  in  1775.  She  received  decided 
advantages  by  making  her  d6but  with  some 
of  the  greatest  artists  of  her  time,  —  Mar- 
chesi,  Crescentini,  and  Lazzarini. 

Grassini  was  an  exquisite  vocalist  in  spite 
of  her  ignorance,  and  albeit  fickle  and  ca- 
pricious, a  most  beautiful  and  fascinating 
woman,  —  luxurious,  prodigal,  and  generous, 
but  heavy  and  dull  in  conversation.  Her  voice 
was  originally  a  soprano,  but  changed  to  a 
deep  contralto.  It  was  rich,  round,  and  full, 
though  of  limited  compass,  being  confined 
within  about  one  octave  of  good  natural  notes. 
Her  style  was  rich  and  finished,  and  though 
she  had  not  much  execution,  what  she  did 
was   elegant  and    perfect.      She  never  at- 


34  Famous  Singers. 

tempted  anything  beyond  her  powers,  her 
dramatic  instincts  were  always  true,  and  in 
the  expression  of  the  subdued  and  softer 
passions  she  has  never  been  excelled.  Her 
figure  was  tall  and  commanding,  and  her  car- 
riage and  attitudes  had  a  classic  beauty  com- 
bined with  a  grace  peculiarly  her  own.  Her 
head  was  noble,  her  features  were  symmet- 
rical, her  hair  and  eyes  of  the  deepest  black, 
and  her  entire  appearance  had  an  air  of  sin- 
gular majesty. 

Napoleon  invited  her  to  Paris,  where  she 
soon  became  an  object  of  inveterate  dislike 
to  the  Empress  Josephine.  In  1804,  return- 
ing to  Paris  after  a  visit  to  Berlin,  Napoleon 
made  her  directress  of  the  Opera.  In  the 
same  year  she  visited  London,  singing  alter- 
nately with  Mrs.  Billington.  In  London  she 
did  not  make  a  great  success,  and  when  her 
benefit  took  place  she  asked  the  good-natured 
Mrs.  Billington  to  sing,  fearing  that  she 
would  not   succeed  alone.      In   succeeding 


From  1600  to  1800  A.  D.  35 

seasons,  however,  Grassini  grew  in  public 
favor,  and  on  reappearing  in  England,  in 
18 1 2,  she  was  rapturously  received,  but  her 
powers  were  now  on  the  wane,  and  at  the 
end  of  the  season  she  departed  unregretted. 
For  some  years  longer  she  sang  in  Italy, 
Holland,   and  Austria,  retiring  about    1823. 

She  married  Colonel  Ragani,  afterwards 
director  of  the  Opera  in  Paris,  and  resided 
for  many  years  in  that  city.  She  died  in 
Milan  in  1850,  at  the  mature  age  of  eighty- 
five. 

Charles  Benjamin  Incledon  and  John  Bra- 
ham  were  two  English  singers  of  renown 
who  came  into  prominence  about  the  same 
time.  Incledon  began  as  a  choir  boy  in  Exeter 
Cathedral,  after  which  he  went  into  the  navy, 
where  his  voice  developed  into  a  fine  tenor. 
Leaving  the  sea,  he  studied  singing,  and  soon 
became  popular.  His  natural  voice  was  full 
and  open,  and  was  sent  forth  without  the 
slightest  artifice,  and  when  he  sang  pianis- 


36  Famous  Singers. 

simo  his  voice  retained  its  original  quality. 
His  style  of  singing  was  bold  and  manly, 
mixed  with  considerable  feeling,  and  he 
excelled  in  ballads.  In  18 17  he  visited 
America,  where  he  was  well  received. 

The  career  of  John  Braham  is  of  interest 
to  all  who  love  the  traditions  of  English 
music.  In  his  early  days  he  was  so  poor 
that  he  was  obliged  to  sell  pencils  for  a  liv- 
ing, but  his  musical  talent  being  discovered 
by  Leoni,  a  teacher  of  repute,  who  took  him 
under  his  tutelage,  he  appeared  at  the  age  of 
thirteen  at  Covent  Garden.  At  the  age  of 
about  twenty  he  was  fitted  for  the  Italian 
stage,  and  at  once  made  his  mark.  Even 
Crescentini,  who  was  placed  in  the  back- 
ground, acknowledged  Braham's  talent,  and 
when  he  sang  in  Italy  his  name  was  freely 
quoted  as  being  one  of  the  greatest  living 
singers.  As  he  grew  older  he  attained  a 
prodigious  reputation,  never  before  equalled 
in  England,  and  whether  singing  a  simple 


From  1600  to  1800  A.  D.  37 

ballad,  in  oratorio,  or  in  the  grandest  dra- 
matic music,  the  largeness  and  nobility  of  his 
style  were  matched  by  a  voice  which  in  its 
prime  was  almost  peerless.  Braham  amassed 
a  large  fortune,  and  then  aspired  to  be  a 
manager,  an  experiment  which  quickly  re- 
duced him  to  poverty.  In  1840  he  visited 
America,  and  made  a  grand  operatic  and 
concert  tour.  In  private  life  he  was  much 
admired,  and  was  always  found  in  the  most 
conservative  and  fastidious  circles,  where  as 
a  man  of  culture,  a  humorist,  and  a  raconteur, 
he  was  the  life  of  society. 

Braham  was  frequently  associated  in  op- 
era with  Madame  Angelica  Catalan!,  the 
last  of  the  great  singers  who  came  before 
the  public  in  the  eighteenth  century.  She 
was  a  woman  of  tall  and  majestic  presence, 
a  dazzling  complexion,  large,  beautiful  blue 
eyes,  and  features  of  ideal  symmetry,  —  a 
woman  to  entrance  the  eye  as  well  as  the 
ear.     Her  voice  was  a  soprano  of  the  purest 


38  Famous  Singers. 

quality,  embracing  a  compass  of  nearly  three 
octaves,  and  so  powerful  that  no  band  could 
overwhelm  its  tones.  The  greatest  defect 
of  her  singing  was  that,  while  the  ear  was 
bewildered  with  the  beauty  and  tremendous 
power  of  her  voice,  the  feelings  were  un- 
touched, —  she  never  appealed  to  the  heart. 
She  could  not  thrill  like  Mara,  nor  captivate 
her  hearers  by  a  birdlike  softness  and  bril- 
liancy, Uke  Billington.  She  simply  aston- 
ished her  audiences. 

Her  private  life  was  as  exemplary  as  her 
public  career  was  dazzling.  She  was  married, 
after  a  most  romantic  courtship,  to  a  M.  de 
Vallebregue,  a  French  captain  of  Hussars, 
who  turned  out  to  be  an  ignorant,  stupid 
man,  but  a  driver  of  hard  bargains  for  his 
wife's  talents.  His  musical  knowledge  is 
illustrated  by  an  anecdote  to  the  effect  that 
on  one  occasion,  when  his  wife  complained 
at  a  rehearsal  that  the  piano  was  too  high, 
he  had  the  defect  remedied  by  sending  for  a 


From  1600  to  1800  A.  D.  39 

carpenter  and  making  him  cut  off  six  inches 
from  the  legs  of  the  instrument.  In  spite 
of  the  reputation  for  avarice  which  her  hus- 
band helped  to  create,  Madame  Catalan!  won 
golden  opinions  by  her  sweet  temper,  liber- 
ality, and  benevolence. 

Towards  the  end  of  her  career  Catalani 
drew  down  on  her  head  the  severest  reproba- 
tion of  all  good  judges  by  singing  the  most 
extravagant  and  bizarre  show  pieces,  such  as 
variations,  composed  for  the  violin,  on  "  Rule 
Britannia,"  "  God  Save  the  King,"  etc.  The 
public  in  general,  however,  listened  to  her 
wonderful  execution  with  unbounded  delight 
and  astonishment. 

In  183 1  Madame  Catalani  retired  from  the 
stage.  Young  and  brilliant  rivals,  such  as 
Pasta  and  Sontag,  were  rising  to  contest  her 
sovereignty,  and  for  several  years  the  critics 
had  been  dropping  pretty  plain  hints  that  it 
would  be  the  most  judicious  and  dignified 
course.     She  settled  with  her  family  on  an 


40  Famous  Singers. 

estate  near  LakeComo;  but  in  1848  she 
went  to  Paris  to  escape  the  cholera,  which 
was  then  raging,  and  in  a  few  months,  not- 
withstanding her  precaution,  she  fell  a  victim 
to  that  dread  disease. 


CHAPTER   II. 

PASTA    TO    MARIO. 

It  is  impossible  in  these  chapters  to  make 
more  than  a  passing  sketch  of  many  famous 
singers,  and  we  must  therefore  be  content 
with  the  mere  mention  of  such  as  Fodor, 
Camporese,  Pisaroni,  and  Damoreau,  who  all, 
in  their  day,  attained  high  renown. 

We  now  come  to  Giuditta  Pasta,  who  must 
be  placed  in  the  very  front  rank,  as  an  artist 
who  could  transform  natural  faults  into  the 
rarest  beauties,  who  could  make  the  world 
forgive  the  presence  of  many  deficiencies, 
and  who  engraved  deeper  impressions  on  the 
memory  of  her  hearers  than  any  other,  even 
in  an  age  of  great  singers,     Her  voice  at  first 

4< 


42  Famous  Singers. 

was  limited,  husky,  and  weak,  without  charm, 
without  flexibility.  Though  her  countenance 
spoke,  its  features  were  cast  in  a  coarse 
mould.  Her  figure  was  ungraceful,  her  move- 
ments were  awkward,  and,  at  the  end  of  her 
first  season,  she  found  herself  a  dire  failure. 
She  suddenly  withdrew  from  the  operatic 
world  and  betook  herself  to  study,  and  when 
she  reappeared  she  made  a  great  impression. 
By  sheer  industry  she  had  increased  the 
range  of  her  voice  to  two  octaves  and  a  half. 
Her  tones  had  become  rich  and  sweet,  her 
shake  was  most  beautiful,  but  her  genius 
as  a  tragedienne  surpassed  her  talent  as  a 
singer. 

Poetical  and  enthusiastic  by  temperament, 
the  crowning  excellence  of  her  art  was  a 
grand  simplicity.  There  was  a  sublimity  in 
her  expression  of  vehement  passion  which 
was  the  result  of  measured  force,  energy 
which  was  never  wasted,  exalted  pathos  that 
never  overshot  the  limits  of  art.     Vigorous 


Pasta  to  Mario.  43 

without  violence,  graceful  without  artifice, 
she  was  always  greatest  when  the  greatest 
emergency  taxed  her  powers. 

No  one  could  ever  sing  "  Tancredi "  like 
Pasta  ;  "  Desdemona  "  furnished  the  theme 
for  the  most  lavish  praises  of  the  critics  ; 
"  Medea  "  is  said  to  have  been  the  grandest 
lyric  interpretation  in  the  records  of  art. 
She  had  literally  worked  her  way  up  to 
eminence,  and,  having  attained  the  height, 
she  stood  on  it  firm  and  secure. 

Madame  Pasta  was  associated  in  many  of 
her  successes  with  the  tenor  Garcia,  more 
celebrated  as  the  father  of  Malibran  and 
Viardot,  and  as  one  of  the  greatest  vocal 
teachers  of  the  century ;  with  the  baritone 
Bordogni,  and  the  basso  Levasseur. 

Honors  were  showered  upon  her  in  all 
parts  of  Europe,  and  it  is  said  that  her 
operatic  salary  of  ;^  14,000  was  nearly 
doubled  by  her  income  from  other  sources ; 
but  she  lost  nearly  her  entire  fortune  by  the 


44  Famous  Singers. 

failure  of  a  banker  in  Vienna,  and,  in  the 
endeavor  to  retrieve  her  fortunes,  she  re- 
mained on  the  stage  long  after  her  vocal 
powers  were  on  the  wane. 

Rossini,  the  celebrated  composer,  married 
an  opera  singer,  Isabella  Angela  Colbran. 
She  was  born  at  Madrid,  her  father  being 
court  musician  to  the  King  of  Spain.  Among 
her  teachers  was  the  celebrated  Crescentini, 
and  her  style  and  voice  being  formed  by  him, 
she  was,  from  1806  to  18 15,  considered  one 
of  the  best  singers  in  Europe.  After  that 
time  her  voice  began  to  depart ;  but,  as  she 
was  a  great  favorite  with  the  King  of  Naples, 
she  remained  at  that  city  till  1821,  and  all 
good,  loyal  Neapolitans  were  expected  to 
enjoy  her  singing,  which  was  sometimes 
excruciatingly  out  of  tune.  She  was  born  in 
1785,  but  it  was  not  until  1822  that  she 
married  Rossini,  who  was  seven  years  her 
junior.  In  1824  she  went  with  her  husband 
to  London,  and  they  made  a  great  pecuniary 


Pasta  to  Mario.  45 

success,  besides  being  greatly  admired  for 
artistic  taste  in  private  concerts. 

Some  four  years  after  the  appearance  of 
Madame  Pasta  another  star  of  the  first  mag- 
nitude appeared,  —  Henrietta  Sontag,  a  beau- 
tiful and  fascinating  woman,  and,  as  some 
say,  the  greatest  German  singer  of  the  cen- 
tury. Nature  gave  her  a  pure  soprano  voice 
of  rare  and  delicate  quality,  united  with  in- 
comparable sweetness. '  Essentially  a  singer 
and  not  a  declamatory  artist,  the  sentiment 
of  grace  was  carried  to  such  a  height  in  her 
art  that  it  became  equivalent  to  the  more 
robust  passion  and  force  which  distinguished 
some  of  her  great  contemporaries. 

She  began  singing  minor  parts  at  the 
theatre  at  the  early  age  of  eight,  and  her 
regular  d6but  in  opera  took  place  when  she 
was  only  fifteen.  "  She  appeared  to  sing," 
we  are  told,  "with  the  volubility  of  a  bird, 
and  to  experience  the  pleasure  she  imparted." 
Her  great  art  lay  in  rendering  pleasing  what- 


46  Famous  Singers. 

ever  she  did.     The  ear  was  never  disturbed 
by  a  harsh  note. 

The  most  romantic  stories  circulated  about 
the  adoration  lavished  upon  her  by  men  of 
rank  and  wealth,  and  it  was  reported  that  no 
singer  ever  had  so  many  offers  of  marriage 
from  people  of  exalted  station.  But  she  had 
met  in  Berlin  a  Piedmontese  nobleman,  Count 
Rossi,  to  whom  she  became  affianced,  and 
Mile.  Sontag  refused  all  the  flattering  over- 
tures made  by  her  admirers.  One  of  her 
most  ardent  lovers  was  De  Beriot,  the  great 
violinist,  who,  on  his  rejection,  fell  into  a 
deep  state  of  despondency,  from  which  the 
fascinations  of  the  beautiful  Malibran  at 
length  roused  him.  Sontag's  union  with 
Rossi  was  for  a  long  time  kept  secret  on 
account  of  the  objections  of  his  family,  but 
she  retired  from  the  stage  and  lived  nearly 
twenty  years  of  happy  life  in  the  various 
capitals  of  Europe,  to  which  her  husband, 
attached  to  the  Sardinian  legation,  was  ac- 


Pasta  to  Mario.  47 

credited.  At  length,  in  1848,  her  fortune 
was  swept  away  in  the  political  revolution, 
and  she  announced  her  intention  of  returning 
to  the  stage.  She  was  at  once  offered  £,17,- 
000  for  the  season  at  Her  Majesty's  Thea- 
tre in  London,  and  on  her  first  appearance 
it  was  evident  that  time  had  but  devel- 
oped the  artist.  What  little  her  voice  had 
lost  was  more  than  compensated  for  by  the 
deeper  passion  and  feeling  which  permeated 
her  efforts,  and  she  was  rapturously  greeted. 
In  1852  she  made  a  tour  of  the  large  cities 
of  the  United  States,  where  she  quickly  es- 
tablished herself  as  one  of  the  greatest  favor- 
ites, in  spite  of  the  fact  that  Malibran  and 
Jenny  Lind  had  preceded  her,  and  that  the 
country  had  hardly  recovered  from  the  Lind 
mania.  In  New  Orleans  she  entered  into  an 
engagement  to  sing  in  the  City  of  Mexico  ;  but 
while  her  agent  was  absent  in  Europe,  gather- 
ing together  an  operatic  company,  she  was 
seized  with  cholera  and  died  in  a  few  hours. 


48  Famous  Singers. 

Joseph  Staudigl,  who  was  born  in  1807,  3-t 
Wollersdorf,  Austria,  was  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  and  accomplished  bassos  of  the 
first  half  of  this  century.  He  was  a  man  of 
varied  gifts  and  ardent  temperament,  frank, 
open,  and  amiable.  In  1825  he  entered  upon 
his  novitiate  in  the  Benedictine  monastery  at 
Melk,  but  two  years  later  he  went  to  Vienna 
to  study  surgery.  Here  his  funds  gave  out, 
and  he  was  glad  to  sing  in  the  chorus  at  the 
Karnthnerthor  Theatre.  In  due  course  the 
opportunity  offered  for  him  to  take  leading 
parts,  and  he  soon  gained  a  great  reputation. 
He  was  also  a  great  singer  of  church  music 
and  oratorio,  for  which  branches  of  music  he 
had  an  inborn  love. 

Staudigl's  last  appearance  took  place  in 
1856,  on  Palm  Sunday,  for  a  few  days  later 
he  became  a  victim  to  insanity,  from  which 
he  never  recovered.  He  made  repeated  tours 
abroad,  and  was  much  admired  wherever  he 
went.     As  a  singer  of  Schubert's  Lieder  he 


Pasta  to  Mario.  49 

was  without  a  rival,  and  his  performances  of 
the  "Erlkonig,"  the  "Wanderer,"  and  "Au- 
fenthalt "  were  considered  wonderful.  His 
death  occurred  in  1861,  and  his  funeral  was 
the  occasion  of  a  great  demonstration. 

Manuel  Garcia,  the  tenor,  had  two  daugh- 
ters who  both  achieved  the  highest  distinc- 
tion on  the  operatic  stage.  The  eldest,  Maria 
Felicien,  became  Madame  Malibran,  and  she 
is  mentioned  to-day  as  one  of  the  most  won- 
derful operatic  singers  that  the  world  has 
produced.  Daring  originality  stamped  her 
life  as  a  woman  and  her  career  as  an  artist, 
and  the  brightness  with  which  her  star  shone 
through  a  brief  and  stormy  history  had  some- 
thing akin  in  it  to  the  dazzling  but  capricious 
passage  of  a  meteor. 

As  a  child  she  was  delicate,  sensitive,  and 
self-willed,  and  she  had  a  prodigious  instinct 
for  art.  Nevertheless,  her  voice  was  pecul- 
iarly intractable,  being  thin  in  the  upper 
notes,  veiled  in  the  middle  tones,  and  her 


5©  Famous  Singers. 

intonation  very  imperfect.  On  leaving  school 
she  was  taken  in  hand  by  her  father,  who 
was  more  pitiless  to  her  than  to  his  other 
pupils.  He  understood  her  disposition  thor- 
oughly, and  said  that  she  could  never  be- 
come great  except  at  the  price  of  much 
suffering,  for  her  proud  and  stubborn  spirit 
required  an  iron  hand  to  control  it. 

Soon  after  making  her  d6but  she  went 
with  her  father  to  America,  for  he  had 
conceived  a  project  for  establishing  opera 
in  the  United  States,  His  company  con- 
sisted of  himself,  Madame  Garcia,  a  son,  and 
his  daughter.  Maria's  charming  voice  and 
personal  fascination  held  the  public  spell- 
bound, and  raised  the  delight  of  opera-goers 
to  a  wild  pitch  of  enthusiasm.  While  in 
New  York,  a  French  merchant,  M.  Fran9ois 
Eugene  Malibran,  fell  passionately  in  love 
with  her,  and  she,  being  sick  of  her  father's 
brutality,  and  the  supposed  great  fortune  of 
Malibran  dazzling  her  imagination,  married 


Pasta  to  Mario.  5 1 

him,  though  in  opposition  to  her  father's  will. 
A  few  weeks  after  the  marriage  M.  Malibran 
was  a  bankrupt,  and  imprisoned  for  debt, 
and  his  bride  discovered  that  she  had  been 
cheated  by  a  cunning  scoundrel,  who  had 
calculated  on  saving  himself  from  poverty 
by  dependence  on  the  stage  earnings  of  his 
wife.  Garcia  and  the  rest  of  his  family  went 
to  Mexico,  where  he  succeeded  in  losing  his 
fortune.  Madame  Malibran  remained  in 
New  York  with  her  husband ;  but  at  the 
end  of  five  months  she  wearied  of  her  hard 
fate,  and,  leaving  him,  returned  to  Paris. 
Here  she  soon  had  the  world  at  her  feet, 
for  the  novelty  and  richness  of  her  style 
of  execution  set  her  apart  from  all  other 
singers  as  a  woman  of  splendid  and  invent- 
ive genius. 

Her  voice  was  a  mezzo-soprano,  naturally 
full  of  defects,  and,  to  the  very  last,  she  was 
obliged  to  go  through  her  exercises  every  day 
to  keep  it  flexible ;  but  by  the  tremendously 


5S  Famous  Singers. 

severe  discipline  to  which  her  father's  teach- 
ing subjected  her,  its  range  extended  so  that 
it  finally  reached  a  compass  of  three  octaves. 
Her  high  notes  had  an  indescribable  bril- 
liancy, and  her  low  tones  were  so  soft,  sweet, 
and  heart-searching  that  they  thrilled  with 
every  varying  phase  of  her  sensibilities. 

Mr.  Chorley  writes :  "  She  may  not  have 
been  beautiful,  but  she  was  better  than 
beautiful,  insomuch  as  a  speaking,  Spanish, 
human  countenance  is  ten  times  more  fasci- 
nating than  many  a  faultless  angel  face,  such 
as  Guido  could  paint.  There  was  a  health 
of  tint,  with  but  a  slight  touch  of  the  yellow 
rose  in  her  complexion,  a  great  mobility  of 
expression  in  her  features,  an  honest,  direct 
brightness  of  the  eye,  a  refinement  in  the 
form  of  her  head,  and  the  set  of  it  on  her 
shoulders." 

Malibran  could  speak  and  write  in  five 
languages,  and  sing  in  any  school.  She  had 
the  characteristic  of  being  able  to  fire  all  her 


Pasta  to  Mario.  53 

fellow  artists  with  her  genius,  and  she  was 
a  tremendous  worker.  She  was  also  very 
fond  of  outdoor  exercises,  being  a  daring 
horse-woman  and  swimmer. 

On  the  death  of  her  husband  she  married 
De  Beriot,  the  violinist,  to  whom  she  had 
been  passionately  attached  for  some  time, 
but  shortly  afterwards  she  was  thrown  from 
her  horse,  while  attending  a  hunt  in  Eng- 
land. She  sustained  severe  internal  injury 
which  eventually  proved  fatal,  though  not 
imtil  she  had  made  heroic  efforts  to  continue 
her  career,  and  fill  all  her  engagements. 
Her  death  produced  a  painful  shock  through- 
out all  Europe,  for  she  had  been  as  much 
admired  and  beloved  as  a  woman,  as  she  was 
worshipped  as  an  artist. 

The  genius  of  the  Garcia  family  shone  not 
less  in  Madame  Malibran's  younger  sister, 
Pauline,  than  in  herself.  Pauline  was  thir- 
teen years  the  junior  of  Maria,  and  did  not 
become  celebrated  until  after  the  death  of 


54  Famous  Singers. 

her  sister.  In  the  meantime,  Grisi  and 
other  great  singers  had  appeared. 

Pauline  was  the  favorite  child  of  Garcia. 
"Pauline,"  he  would  say,  "can  be  guided 
by  a  thread  of  silk,  but  Maria  needs  a  hand 
of  iron." 

At  the  age  of  six  she  could  speak  fluently 
in  French,  Spanish,  Italian,  and  English,  and 
to  these  she  afterwards  added  German.  She 
also  learned  to  play  the  organ  and  piano  as  if 
by  instinct.  In  her  early  days  she  went  with 
her  father  to  Mexico,  where  they  met  with 
many  strange  adventures,  notably  on  one  oc- 
casion, when  they  were  seized  by  bandits, 
who  plundered  Garcia  of  his  savings,  bound 
him  to  a  tree,  and  made  him  sing  for  his 
life. 

Pauline  was  seven  years  old  on  her  return 
to  Europe,  and  three  years  later  she  became 
one  of  the  pupils  of  Franz  Liszt.  When  she 
was  eleven  her  father  died,  and  she  began  to 
study  voice  with  Adolph  Nourrit,  the  tenor. 


Pasta  to  Mario.  55 

who  had  been  one  of  her  father's  favorite 
pupils. 

Her  first  public  appearance  was  made  in 
Brussels,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  and  it  was 
the  first  occasion  on  which  De  Beriot  ap- 
peared after  the  death  of  Madame  Malibran, 
his  wife. 

Pauline  Garcia's  voice  was  like  that  of  her 
sister  in  quality.  It  combined  the  two  regis- 
ters of  contralto  and  soprano,  from  low  F  to 
C  above  the  lines,  but  the  upper  part  of  an 
originally  limited  mezzo-soprano  had  been 
literally  fabricated  by  an  iron  discipline,  con- 
ducted by  the  girl  herself  with  all  the  science 
of  a  master.  Her  singing  was  expressive, 
descriptive,  thrilling,  full,  equal  and  just, 
brilliant  and  vibrating,  especially  in  the  me- 
dium and  lower  notes.  Capable  of  every 
style  of  art,  it  was  adapted  to  all  the  feel- 
ings of  nature,  but  particularly  to  outbursts 
of  grief,  joy,  or  despair. 

M.  Viardot,  the  director  of  the  Paris  Opera, 


56  Famous  Singers. 

went  to  London  to  hear  her,  and  was  so 
delighted  that  he  offered  her  the  position  of 
prima  donna  for  the  next  season.  She  was 
then  only  eighteen,  and  by  this  engagement 
she  was  fairly  embarked  upon  a  brilliant 
career.  M.  Viardot  fell  deeply  in  love  with 
her  shortly  after  his  introduction  to  her,  and 
in  1840  they  were  married.  Returning  to 
the  stage  after  a  short  retirement,  Madame 
Viardot  visited  most  of  the  great  cities,  and 
invariably  received  the  most  enthusiastic 
welcome.  On  some  occasions  the  audience 
could  scarcely  be  induced  to  leave  the  house 
at  the  end  of  the  performance.  Once  she 
played,  on  account  of  the  illness  of  another 
singer,  the  two  parts  of  "  Alice  "  and  "  Isa- 
bella" in  "Robert  le  Diable,"  changing  her 
costume  with  each  change  of  scene,  and  rep- 
resenting in  one  opera  the  opposite  rdles  of 
princess  and  peasant. 

After    Madame    Viardot's    retirement    in 
1862,  she  held  for  many  years  a  professional 


Pasta  to  Mario.  57 

chair  at  the  Paris  Conservatoire.  In  private 
life  she  has  been  always  loved  and  admired, 
and  she  is  to  this  day  recognized  as  one  of 
the  great  vocal  teachers  of  Paris. 

Adolf  Nourrit,  of  whom  the  French  stage 
is  deservedly  proud,  was  a  pupil  of  Garcia, 
and  for  ten  years  was  principal  tenor  at  the 
Academic,  creating  all  the  leading  tenor  roles 
produced  during  that  time.  He  was  idolized 
by  the  public,  and  was  a  man  of  much  in- 
fluence in  musical  circles.  He  gave  a  dis- 
tinct stamp  and  flavor  to  all  his  parts,  and 
was  as  refined  and  pleasing  in  comedy  as  he 
was  pathetic  and  commanding  in  tragedy. 
It  was  he  who  popularized  the  songs  of  Schu- 
bert, and  otherwise  softened  the  French 
prejudice  against  the  German  music  of  his 
time.  In  private  life  he  was  witty,  genial, 
and  refined,  and  was,  therefore,  a  favorite 
guest  at  the  most  distinguished  and  exclusive 
"salons."  Nourrit  was  subject  to  alternate 
fits  of  excitement  and  depression,  and  was 


58  Famous  Singers. 

affected  to  such  a  degree  by  some  articles 
praising  his  rival,  Duprez,  at  his  expense, 
that  his  friends  feared  for  his  sanity.  Event- 
ually, while  filling  an  engagement  in  Italy, 
he  threw  himself  out  of  his  bedroom  window 
and  was  instantly  killed  on  the  paved  court- 
yard below. 

Duprez,  like  Nourrit,  was  a  student  at  the 
Paris  Conservatoire,  and  for  many  years  a 
leading  figure  at  the  Academie.  At  first  he 
was  not  a  success  in  opera,  but,  by  dint  of 
study  and  hard  work,  he  achieved  a  high 
reputation.  In  person  he  was  insignificant, 
but  his  tragic  passion  and  splendid  intelli- 
gence gave  him  a  deserved  prominence.  He 
composed  much  music,  including  two  masses 
and  eight  operas,  and  was  the  writer  of  a 
highly  esteemed  musical  method.  After 
finishing  his  operatic  career  he  became  a 
professor  of  singing  at  the  Conservatoire. 

Madame  Grisi,  who  made  her  d6but  in 
1823,  and  held  her  place  as  one  of  the  great- 


Pasta  to  Mario.  59 

est  singers  for  many  years,  was  the  daughter 
of  an  Itahan  officer  of  engineers,  and  her 
mother's  sister  was  the  once  celebrated 
Grassini,  a  contemporary  of  Mrs.  Billington 
and  Madame  Mara. 

GiuHetta  Grisi,  as  a  child,  was  too  delicate 
to  receive  any  musical  training ;  but  her 
ambition  caused  her  to  learn  the  pianoforte 
by  her  own  efforts,  and  her  imitation  of  her 
sister  Giuditta's  vocal  exercises  indicated  to 
her  family  the  bent  of  her  tastes. 

In  due  course  she  entered  the  conserva- 
toire in  her  native  town,  and  was  later  sent 
to  her  Uncle  Ragani  at  Bologna,  where,  for 
three  years,  she  was  under  the  instruction  of 
Giacomo  Guglielmi.  Gradually  the  beautiful 
quality  of  her  voice  began  to  manifest  itself. 
She  was  remarkably  apt  and  receptive,  and 
profited  by  her  masters  to  an  extraordinary 
degree. 

For  three  months  she  studied  under  Fi- 
lippo  Celli,  and  in  1828  she  made  her  d^but 


6o  Famous  Singers. 

in  Rossini's  •*  Elmira."  Rossini  was  delighted 
with  her,  and  the  director  of  the  theatre 
immediately  engaged  her  for  the  carnival 
season. 

The  career  thus  auspiciously  commenced, 
continued  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury, during  which  time  Grisi  delighted  audi- 
ences throughout  the  whole  of  Europe,  and 
made  a  tour,  with  Mario,  of  the  United 
States. 

The  production  of  Bellini's  last  opera, 
"I  Puritani,"  in  1834,  was  one  of  the  great- 
est musical  events  of  the  age,  not  solely  on 
account  of  the  work,  but  because  of  the  very 
remarkable  quartet  which  embodied  the  prin- 
cipal characters,  —  Grisi,  Rubini,  Tamburini, 
and  Lablache.  This  quartet  continued  in 
its  perfection  for  several  years,  with  the  sub- 
stitution later  of  Mario  for  Rubini,  and  was 
one  of  the  most  notable  and  interesting  in 
the  history  of  operatic  music. 

Giulietta  Grisi's  womanly  fascinations  made 


Pasta  to  Mario.  6l 

havoc  among  that  large  class  who  become 
easily  enamored  of  the  goddesses  of  the 
theatre,  and  she  was  the  object  of  many- 
passionate  addresses.  She  married  in  1836 
a  French  gentleman  of  fortune,  M.  Auguste 
Gerard  de  Melcy,  but  she  did  not  retire. 
This  marriage  was  unhappy,  and  after  her 
release  from  it  by  divorce  she  became  the 
wife  of  Mario,  the  great  tenor. 

Grisi  united  much  of  the  nobleness  and 
tragic  inspiration  of  Pasta,  with  something 
of  the  fire  and  energy  of  Malibran  ;  but,  in 
the  minds  of  the  most  capable  judges,  she 
lacked  the  creative  originality  which  stamped 
each  of  the  former  two  artists.  Her  dra- 
matic instincts  were  strong  and  vehement, 
lending  something  of  her  own  personality 
to  the  copy  of  another's  creation,  and  her 
voice  as  nearly  reached  perfection  as  any 
ever  bestowed  on  a  singer. 

Madame  Grisi  continued  before  the  public 
until  1866,  although  her  powers  were  failing 


62  Famous  Singers. 

rapidly.  In  1869  she  died  of  inflammation 
of  the  lungs. 

From  the  year  1834,  when  she  made  her 
ddbut  at  the  King's  Theatre,  London,  until 
1 86 1,  when  she  retired  from  the  Royal 
Italian  Opera,  Grisi  missed  only  one  season 
in  London,  that  of  1842.  It  was  a  rare 
thing  indeed  that  illness  or  any  other  cause 
prevented  her  from  fulfilling  her  engage- 
ments. She  seldom  disappointed  the  pub- 
lic by  her  absence,  and  never  by  her  singing. 
Altogether  her  artistic  life  lasted  about 
thirty -five  years.  During  sixteen  succes- 
sive years  she  sang,  during  the  season,  at 
the  Theatre  des  Italiens  in  Paris,  her  en- 
gagements there  beginning  in  1832  with 
her  appearance  as  Semiramide. 

Both  Grisi  and  her  husband,  Mario,  were 
much  admired  by  the  Czar  Nicholas  of 
Russia,  and  it  is  said  that  the  Czar,  meeting 
Grisi  one  day  walking  with  her  children, 
stopped  and  said  facetiously,  "I  see,  these 


Pasta  to  Mario.  63 

are  the  pretty  Grisettes."  "No,"  replied 
Grisi,  "these  are  my  Marionettes."  Mario, 
too,  is  said  to  have  been  asked  by  the  Czar 
to  cut  his  beard  in  order  to  the  better  look 
one  of  his  parts.  This  he  declined  to  do, 
even  when  the  Czarina,  fearing  that  he 
might  become  a  victim  of  the  Czar's  dis- 
pleasure, added  her  request.  But  Mario 
declared  that  it  was  better  to  incur  the 
displeasure  of  the  Czar  than  to  lose  his 
voice,  saying  that  if  they  did  not  like  him 
with  his  beard,  upon  which  he  relied  for  the 
protection  of  his  voice,  they  surely  would 
not  like  him  without  his  voice. 

During  the  height  of  their  prosperity, 
Grisi  and  Mario  lived  in  princely  extrava- 
gance. Their  family  consisted  of  six  daugh- 
ters, of  whom  three  died  quite  young,  and 
they  were  enthusiastically  devoted  to  one 
another. 

Giambattista  Rubini,  who  was  for  years 
associated  with  Grisi,  was  a  native  of  Ber- 


64  Famous  Singers. 

gamo,  where  he  made  his  d6but  at  the  age 
of  twelve  in  a  woman's  part,  sitting  after- 
wards at  the  door  of  the  theatre  between  two 
candles,  and  holding  a  plate  into  which  the 
public  deposited  their  offerings.  During  his 
early  life  he  belonged  to  several  wandering 
companies,  in  which  he  filled  the  position  of 
second  tenor;  but  in  1814,  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  years,  he  was  singing  in  Pavia  for  a 
salary  of  about  nine  dollars  a  month.  Be- 
fore the  end  of  his  career  he  was  paid 
;^20,ooo  a  year  for  his  services  at  the  St. 
Petersburg  Imperial  Opera. 

Rubini's  countenance  was  mean,  his  figure 
awkward,  and  he  had  no  conception  of  taste, 
character,  or  picturesque  effect ;  but  his  voice 
was  so  incomparable  in  range  and  quality, 
his  musical  equipment  and  skill  so  great, 
that  his  memory  is  one  of  the  greatest  tra- 
ditions of  lyric  art.  Like  so  many  of  the 
great  singers  of  his  time,  Rubini  first  gained 
his  reputation  in  the  operas  of  Bellini  and 


Pasta  to  Mario.  IJ5 

Donizetti,  and  many  of  the  tenor  parts  of 
these  works  were  composed  expressly  for 
him.  The  immense  power,  purity,  and 
sweetness  of  his  voice  have  probably  never 
been  surpassed,  and  its  compass  was  of  two 
octaves,  from  C  in  the  bass  clef.  He  could 
also  sing  in  falsetto  as  high  as  treble  F,  and 
with  such  skill  that  no  one  could  detect  the 
change  into  the  falsetto, 

Rubini  died  in  1852,  leaving  one  of  the 
largest  fortunes  ever  amassed  on  the  stage. 

Another  member  of  the  celebrated  "  Puri- 
tani "  quartet  was  Antonio  Tamburini,  a  na- 
tive of  Faenze.  Without  any  single  com- 
manding trait  of  genius,  he  seems,  with  the 
exception  of  Lablache,  to  have  combined 
more  attractive  qualities  than  any  male 
singer  who  ever  appeared.  He  was  hand- 
some and  graceful,  and  a  master  of  the  art 
of  stage  costume.  His  voice,  a  baritone  of 
over  two  octaves  in  extent,  was  full,  round, 
sonorous,   and   perfectly   equal   throughout. 


66  Famous  Singers. 

His  execution  was  unsurpassed  and  unsur- 
passable, of  a  kind  which  at  the  present 
day  is  well-nigh  obsolete,  and  is  associated 
in  the  public  mind  with  sopranos  and  tenors 
only. 

An  amusing  instance  of  Tamburini's  ver- 
satility was  shown  at  Palermo  during  the 
carnival  season  of  1822,  when  the  audience 
attended  the  theatre  armed  with  drums, 
trumpets,  shovels,  and  anything  that  would 
make  a  noise.  Tamburini,  being  unable  to 
make  his  basso  heard,  sang  his  music  in  fal- 
setto, an  accomplishment  which  so  delighted 
the  audience  that  they  laid  aside  their  instru- 
ments of  torture,  and  applauded  enthusiasti- 
cally. The  prima  donna,  however,  was  so 
enraged  and  frightened  by  the  rough  behav- 
ior of  the  audience  that  she  fled  from  the 
theatre,  and  the  manager  was  at  his  wit's 
end.  Tamburini  donned  the  fugitive's  satin 
dress,  clapped  her  bonnet  over  his  wig,  and 
appeared  on  the  stage  with  a  mincing  step. 


Pasta  to  Mario.  67 

He  sang  the  soprano  score  so  admirably,  bur- 
lesquing the  action  of  the  prima  donna,  but 
showing  far  greater  powers  of  execution  than 
she  possessed,  that  his  hearers  were  capti- 
vated. He  did  not  shirk  even  the  duets,  but 
sang  the  woman's  part  in  falsetto,  and  his 
own  in  his  natural  voice. 

He  retired  in  1859,  ^^^  <^i^d  at  Nice  in 
1876. 

Luigi  Lablache,  the  basso  of  the  "Puri- 
tani "  quartet,  is  considered  by  many  author- 
ities to  have  been  the  greatest  artist  among 
men  that  ever  appeared  in  opera.  In  stat- 
ure he  was  a  giant,  and  we  are  told  that  one 
of  his  boots  would  make  a  good  portmanteau 
or  one  of  his  gloves  would  clothe  an  infant. 
His  strength  was  enormous,  and  his  voice 
magnificent ;  the  vibration  thereof  was  so  tre- 
mendous that  it  was  dangerous  for  him  to 
sing  in  a  greenhouse,  though  why  this  par- 
ticular danger  is  noted  must  be  left  to  con- 
jecture, for  there  is  no  record  in  history  to 


68  Famous  Singers. 

show  that  it  was  customary  or  essential  to 
sing  in  greenhouses. 

Anecdotes  of  Lablache's  generosity  and 
noble  character  are  plentiful,  and  there  are 
some  also  which  show  that  he  was  a  lover  of 
good  jokes.  Of  these,  perhaps  the  following 
is  the  most  amusing.  Once  when  the  "  Pu- 
ritani"  quartet  was  in  Paris,  Lablache  was 
quartered  at  the  same  hotel  as  General  Tom 
Thumb,  who  was  delighting  audiences  at  a 
vaudeville.  An  English  tourist,  who  was 
making  strenuous  efforts  to  meet  Tom 
Thumb,  burst  into  the  great  basso's  apart- 
ment, but  seeing  such  a  giant,  hesitated,  and 
apologized,  saying  that  he  was  looking  for 
Tom  Thumb.  "I  am  he,"  said  Lablache, 
in  his  deepest  tones.  The  Englishman, 
taken  fiat  aback,  exclaimed  :  "  But  you  were 
much  smaller  when  I  saw  you  on  the  stage 
yesterday."  "Yes,"  replied  Lablache;  "that 
is  how  I  have  to  appear,  but  when  I  get 
home  to  my  own  rooms  I  let  myself  out  and 


Pasta  to  Mario.  69 

enjoy  myself,"  and  he  proceeded  to  entertain 
his  visitor. 

In  his  student  days  Lablache  was  so  dom- 
inated by  the  desire  to  appear  on  the  stage 
that  he  ran  away  from  the  conservatorium 
no  less  than  five  times,  each  time  being 
caught  and  brought  back  in  disgrace.  On 
one  occasion  he  engaged  himself  to  sing  at 
Salerno  for  fifteen  ducats  a  month,  and  re- 
ceived a  month's  pay  in  advance.  He  lin- 
gered two  days  in  Naples  and  spent  his 
money,  apparently  also  disposing  of  most  of 
his  clothes.  As  he  could  not  well  appear  at 
Salerno  without  luggage,  he  filled  his  portman- 
teau with  sand,  and  set  forth.  A  couple  of 
days  later  he  was  captured  by  the  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  conservatorium,  and  taken  back 
to  Naples.  The  impresario  hastened  to 
make  good  his  loss  by  seizing  the  portman- 
teau, which,  however,  proved  to  be  very 
disappointing. 

After  Lablache  made  bis  first  appearance 


70  Famous  Singers. 

in  opera  his  fame  grew  rapidly,  and  in  a 
few  years  had  reached  colossal  proportions. 
Among  the  honors  which  fell  to  his  lot  was 
that  of  being  music  teacher  to  Queen  Vic- 
toria. His  death,  which  occurred  in  1858, 
drew  forth  expressions  of  regret  from  all 
parts  of  Europe,  for  it  was  felt  that  in  La- 
blache  the  world  of  song  had  lost  one  of  its 
brightest  lights. 

Mario,  who  followed  Rubini  as  tenor  in 
the  celebrated  "  Puritani "  quartet,  was  more 
closely  connected  with  the  career  of  Madame 
Grisi  than  any  other  singer,  for  he  became 
her  husband.  His  proper  title  was  Mario, 
Cavaliere  di  Candia ;  but,  in  order  to  soothe 
the  family  pride,  he  was  known  on  the  stage 
by  his  Christian  name  only.  When  he  first 
went  to  Paris,  in  1836,  he  held  a  commission 
in  a  Piedmontese  regiment.  The  fascinating 
young  Italian  officer  was  welcomed  in  the. 
highest  circles,  for  his  splendid  physical 
beauty,  and  his  art-talents  as   an  amateur 


Pasta  to  Mario.  7 1 

in  music,  painting,  and  sculpture,  separated 
him  from  all  others,  even  in  a  throng  of 
brilliant  and  accomplished  men'  In  Paris 
he  fell  into  debt,  and,  having  a  beautiful 
voice,  he  accepted  the  proposition  of  Dupon- 
chel,  the  manager  of  the  opera,  and  entered 
upon  stage  life.  Though  his  singing  was 
very  imperfect  and  amateurish,  his  princely 
beauty  and  delicious,  fresh  voice  took  the 
musical  public  by  storm. 

Mario  will  live  in  the  world's  memory  as 
the  best  opera-lover  ever  seen.  In  such 
scenes  as  the  fourth  act  of  "  Les  Hugue- 
nots," and  the  last  act  of  "  Favorita," 
Mario's  singing  and  acting  were  never  to 
be  forgotten  by  those  that  witnessed  them. 
Intense  passion  and  highly  finished  vocal 
delicacy  combined  to  make  these  pictures 
of  melodious  suffering  indelible.  As  a 
singer  of  romances  he  has  never  been 
equalled ;  in  those  songs  where  music  tells 
the  story  of  passion,  in  broad,  intelligible, 


J9  Famous  Singers. 

ardent  phrases,  and  presents  itself  primarily 
as  the  vehicle  of  violent  emotion,  Mario 
stood  ahead  of  all  others  of  his  age.  For  a 
quarter  of  a  century  he  remained  before  the 
public  of  Paris,  London,  and  St.  Petersburg, 
but  he  did  not  finally  retire  until  1867. 

The  story  of  Mario's  life  reads  like  a 
romance.  At  times  he  was  steeped  in  the 
depths  of  poverty ;  at  others,  he  enjoyed  great 
wealth  and  lived  in  princely  style.  Shortly 
after  his  first  arrival  in  Paris,  he  found  him- 
self deeply  in  debt,  and  so  poor  that  he  was 
obliged  to  sleep  in  a  very  cheap  lodging- 
house  where  several  people  occupied  one 
room.  One  night  he  awoke  and  found  a 
man  kneeling  over  him,  to  rob  him.  "  What 
do  you  want.? " asked  Mario.  "  Your  money," 
was  the  reply.  "  Take  all  you  can  find,  my 
friend,"  answered  Mario,  "but  please  let  me 
continue  my  dreams  and  my  sleep." 

Mario  was  as  careless  in  regard  to  time  as 
to  money.     It  is  related  that  once  upon  a 


Pasta  to  Mario.  f$ 

time  he  arrived  half  an  hour  early,  to  keep 
an  appointment.  Nobody  was  more  sur- 
prised than  Mario  himself,  and,  after  inves- 
tigation, he  discovered  that  he  had  mistaken 
eleven  o'clock  for  five  minutes  to  twelve, 
and  would  have  been  the  customary  half 
hour  late  if  his  calculations  had  been 
correct. 

Mario  had  a  particular  aversion  to  writing 
letters,  and  when  he  received  an  invitation 
from  some  person  of  high  degree  he  would 
frequently  say,  "  Oh,  I  will  write  to-morrow," 
and  Mario's  to-morrow  was  the  proverbial 
one  which  never  came.  He  was  nevertheless 
kind  and  thoughtful  for  every  one,  and  to 
his  personal  graces  and  charms  he  owes  his 
reputation  as  much  as  to  his  art,  for  he  was 
always  more  or  less  of  an  amateur.  His 
wonderful  gifts  were  not  developed  by  study, 
like  the  equally  wonderful  voice  of  Rubini, 
who  surpassed  in  this  respect  every  tenor 
before  or  after. 


74  Famous  Singers. 

As  an  instance  of  the  admiration  in  which 
Mario  was  held  by  the  fair  sex,  we  are  told 
that  a  certain  lady  followed  him  wherever 
he  sang.  She  never  spoke  to  him,  never 
tried  to  press  herself  upon  him,  but  never 
missed  a  performance  in  any  part  of  the 
world  in  which  he  sang,  except  on  three 
occasions  when  she  was  prevented  by  sick- 
ness. This  continued  for  a  period  of  forty 
years. 

Like  all  men  of  similar  disposition,  Mario 
was  subject  to  fits  of  wild,  unreasoning 
jealousy,  and  his  domestic  life  with  Grisi 
was  not  always  of  the  smoothest  nature, 
though  there  was  absolutely  no  cause  for 
jealousy  on  either  side.  On  one  occasion, 
Mario  is  said  to  have  worked  himself  up  into 
such  a  state  of  excitement  that  he  smashed 
everything  in  the  room.  Grisi,  too,  once 
reached  so  great  a  depth  of  despair  that  she 
rushed  out  to  drown  herself.  A  fleet-footed 
friend  followed  her,  and  reached  her  just  as 


Pasta  to  Mario.  75 

she  was  preparing  to  make  the  final  plunge. 
All  kinds  of  arguments  were  used  to  turn 
her  from  her  purpose,  but  in  vain,  until  her 
rescuer  pictured  to  her  how  dirty  and 
muddy  she  would  look  when  taken  out  of 
the  river.  This  argument  prevailed,  and  the 
prima  donna  deferred  her  demise. 

In  spite  of  the  large  amount  of  money 
earned  by  Mario,  he  retired  from  the  stage  a 
poor  man.  His  improvidence  was  magnifi- 
cent. Twice  the  public  subscribed  for  his 
needs,  and  once,  the  old  unthriftiness  about 
him  still,  he  flung  away  his  capital  and  was 
royally  penniless  again. 

At  Rome,  in  which  city  he  spent  his  last 
days,  he  was  given  the  post  of  curator  of  the 
Museum ;  but  the  glory  of  his  past  still 
adhered  to  him,  and  he  was  surrounded  by 
a  host  of  admirers,  who  enjoyed  hearing  the 
old  man  talk  about  his  adventures.  He  died, 
in  1883,  in  the  arms  of  Signor  Augusto 
Rotoli.     His  life  had  been  triumphant  be- 


^6  Famous  Singers. 

yond  the  lot  of  all  but  the  most  fortunate, 
and  the  memory  he  left  was  singularly  kind 
and  beautiful, 

A  memorandum,  published  at  the  time  of 
Mario's  retirement,  states  that  during  his 
career  he  gave,  in  London  alone,  935  per- 
formances, of  which  225  were  in  operas  of 
Donizetti,  170  Meyerbeer,  143  Rossini,  112 
Verdi,  82  Bellini,  70  Gounod,  and  68  Mo- 
zart, the  remaining  65  performances  being 
operas  of  seven  other  composers. 


CHAPTER  III. 

MARIO    TO    TIETIENS. 

Contemporary  with  Sontag,  Malibran, 
and  Grisi,  was  Madame  Schroder-Devri- 
ent,  who  was  one  of  the  earliest  and  great- 
est interpreters  of  German  opera.  Though 
others  have  surpassed  her  in  vocal  resources, 
she  stands  high  in  the  list  of  operatic  trage- 
diennes, and  for  a  long  time  reigned  supreme 
in  her  art.  Her  deep  sensibilities  and  dra- 
matic instincts,  her  noble  elocution  and 
stately  beauty,  fitted  her  admirably  for  trag- 
edy, in  which  she  was  unrivalled  except  by 
Pasta.  Her  voice  was  a  mellow  soprano, 
which,  though  not  specially  flexible,  united 
softness  with  volume  and  compass.  Her 
stage  career  began  at  the  age  of  six,  but  she 
77 


78  Famous  Singers. 

was  seventeen  when  she  made  her  d^but  in 
opera.  Her  highest  triumph  was  achieved 
as  Leonora  in  the  "FideHo." 

Her  marriage  with  M.  Devrient,  a  tenor 
singer  whom  she  met  in  Dresden,  did  not 
turn  out  happily.  Madame  Devrient  retired 
in  1849,  having  amassed  a  considerable  for- 
tune by  her  professional  efforts.  Her  re- 
tirement occasioned  much  regret  throughout 
Germany,  and  the  Emperor  Francis  I.  paid 
her  the  unusual  compliment  of  having  her 
portrait  painted  in  all  her  principal  charac- 
ters, and  placed  in  the  Imperial  Museum. 
She  died  in  i860  at  Cologne,  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  a  marble  bust  was  placed  in  the 
opera  house  at  Berlin. 

Madame  Devrient  must  be  classed  with 
that  group  of  dramatic  singers  who  were  the 
interpreters  of  the  school  of  music  which 
arose  in  Germany  after  the  death  of  Mozart, 
and  which  found  its  characteristic  type  in 
Carl  Maria  Von  Weber,  for  Beethoven,  who 


Mario  to  Tieiiens.  79 

on  one  side  belongs  to  this  school,  rather 
belongs  to  the  world,  than  to  a  single 
nationality. 

Fanny  Persiani,  who  was  contemporary 
with  Grisi  and  Viardot,  was  the  daughter 
of  Tacchinardi,  a  tenor  singer  of  no  small 
reputation.  Tacchinardi  was  a  dwarf,  hunch- 
backed and  repulsive  in  appearance,  yet  he 
had  one  of  the  purest  tenor  voices  ever  given 
by  nature  and  refined  by  art,  which,  together 
with  extraordinary  intelligence  and  admirable 
method  of  singing,  and  great  facility  of  exe- 
cution, elicited  for  him  the  admiration  of  the 
public. 

His  daughter  Fanny  showed  a  passion  for 
music  almost  as  an  infant,  and  was  carefully 
trained  by  her  father.  At  eleven  years  of 
age  she  took  part  in  an  opera  as  prima  donna 
at  a  little  theatre  which  Tacchinardi  had  built 
near  his  country-place  just  out  of  Florence. 
She  had  a  voice  of  immense  compass,  to  which 
sweetness  and  flexibility  were  added  by  study 


Bo  Famous  Singers. 

and  practice.  She  married  Joseph  Persiani, 
an  operatic  composer,  at  the  age  of  twelve, 
for  her  father  did  not  wish  her  to  go  on  the 
stage,  and  thought  that  an  early  marriage 
would  change  her  tastes.  For  several  years 
she  lived  in  seclusion  at  her  husband's  house ; 
but  at  last  an  opportunity  offered  to  sing  in 
opera,  and  she  was  unable  to  resist  it.  Ma- 
dame Persiani  belonged  to  the  same  style  as 
Sontag,  not  only  in  character  of  voice  but  in 
all  her  sympathies  and  affinities.  Moscheles, 
in  his  diary,  speaks  of  the  incredible  technical 
difficulties  which  she  overcame,  and  compares 
her  performance  with  that  of  a  violinist,  for 
she  could  execute  the  most  florid,  rapid,  and 
difficult  music  with  such  ease  as  to  excite  the 
wonder  of  her  hearers.  Aside  from  her  won- 
derful executive  art  in  singing,  Madame  Per- 
siani will  be  remembered  as  having  contrib- 
uted, perhaps,  more  than  any  other  singer  to 
making  the  music  of  Donizetti  popular.  Her 
death  occurred  in  1867. 


Mario  to  Tie  Hens.  8t 

The  name  of  Jenny  Lind  will  be  remem- 
bered when  Malibran,  Grisi,  and  many  of  the 
greatest  singers  have  sunk  into  oblivion,  be- 
cause of  her  good  works.  Besides  being  one 
of  the  few  perfect  singers  of  the  century,  her 
life  was  characterized  by  deep  religious  prin- 
ciples and  innumerable  charitable  works,  of 
which  not  the  least  was  the  use  of  the  fortune 
of  over  $100,000,  which  she  made  during  her 
American  tour,  in  founding  art  scholarships 
and  other  charities  in  Sweden,  her  native 
land. 

Jenny  Lind  was  born  in  1820  at  Stock- 
holm, and  was  the  daughter  of  poor  but  edu- 
cated parents,  her  father  being  a  teacher  of 
languages  and  her  mother  a  schoolmistress. 

From  her  cradle  she  showed  the  greatest 
delight  in  music,  and  at  the  age  of  three  she 
could  sing  with  accuracy  any  song  that  she 
had  heard.  Her  musical  education  began  at 
the  age  of  nine  ;  but,  notwithstanding  the 
brilliant   career  predicted    for  her    by  her 


8i  Famous  Singers. 

friends,  her  life  for  many  years  was  a  history 
of  patient  hard  work  and  crushing  disap- 
pointments. 

When  she  was  presented  by  her  singing 
teacher  to  Count  Piicke,  the  director  of  the 
court  theatre  at  Stockholm,  with  a  view  to 
getting  her  admitted  to  the  school  of  music 
connected  with  it,  she  made  no  impression 
on  him,  and  it  was  only  by  great  persuasion 
that  he  could  be  induced  to  accept  her. 

In  this  theatre  she  appeared  in  child's 
parts  while  scarcely  in  her  teens,  but  when 
she  was  about  thirteen  years  old  her  voice 
suddenly  failed.  She  continued  patiently 
with  her  other  musical  studies,  and  in  four 
or  five  years  her  voice  returned  as  suddenly 
as  it  had  left  her. 

Shortly  after  this,  she  sang  at  a  concert 
the  part  of  Alice,  in  the  fourth  act  of  "Ro- 
berto," and  made  such  a  favorable  impression 
that  she  was  immediately  given  the  part  of 
Agatha,  in  "Der  Freischiitz,"  and  made  her 


Mario  to  Tietiens.  83 

first  appearance  in  opera.  She  soon  became 
a  great  favorite  in  Stockholm,  where  she 
remained  for  nearly  two  years. 

Filled  with  ambition,  she  now  went  to  * 
Paris  and  sought  the  celebrated  teacher, 
Manuel  Garcia,  whose  first  advice  to  her 
was  not  to  sing  a  note  for  three  months. 
Garcia  never  expected  great  things  of  her, 
although  he  was  pleased  with  her  diligence 
and  her  musical  intelligence.  Meyerbeer, 
on  the  contrary,  who  heard  her  about  a  year 
later,  at  once  recognized  in  her  voice  "one 
of  the  finest  pearls  in  the  world's  chaplet  of 
song,"  and  through  his  influence  she  obtained 
a  hearing  in  the  salon  of  the  Grand  Opera, 
This  did  not  result  in  an  engagement,  and 
Jenny  Lind  was  so  mortified  that  years  after- 
wards, when  her  reputation  was  established, 
and  she  was  offered  an  engagement  in  Paris, 
she  declined  it  without  giving  any  reason. 

She  now  returned  to  Stockholm,  where  she 
was  received  with  the  greatest  enthusiasm ; 


84  Famous  Singers. 

but  soon  afterwards  she  appeared  at  Copen- 
hagen, and  then,  through  Meyerbeer  again, 
she  procured  an  engagement  at  Berlin,  where, 
in  the  part  of  AHce  in  "  Roberto,"  she  made 
a  profound  impression.  She  next  sang  in 
Vienna,  where  she  made  a  veritable  triumph. 
On  the  last  night  of  her  engagement  her 
carriage  was  escorted  home  by  thousands. 
Thirty  times  she  was  obliged  to  appear  at 
the  window  of  her  hotel,  and  the  crowd 
scrambled  for  the  flowers  which  she  threw 
them  in  acknowledgment  of  their  applause, 
and  carried  them  home  as  treasures. 

She  became  the  talk  of  musical  circles 
throughout  Europe,  and  prices  rose  enor- 
mously whenever  she  was  to  sing. 

She  sang  in  London  for  the  first  time  in 
1847,  and,  through  judicious  advertising,  the 
public  were  worked  up  to  a  great  state  of 
expectation.  Tickets  were  held  at  fabulous 
prices,  and  since  the  days  of  Mrs.  Siddons's 
seventh  farewell,  nothing  like  the  excitement 


Mario  to  Tietiens.  85 

had  been  known.  Many  ladies  sat  on  the 
stairs  of  the  opera  house,  unable  to  pene- 
trate to  the  auditorium. 

Her  operatic  career  in  London  was  short 
as  it  was  brilliant,  for  she  sang  for  the  last 
time  on  the  operatic  stage  in  the  season  of 
1849,  after  which  she  appeared  only  in  con- 
certs and  oratorio.  Concerning  the  charm 
of  her  singing,  one  may  judge  from  a  sen- 
tence written  by  Chorley,  the  well-known 
critic,  who  least  of  all  men  was  likely  to  be 
carried  away  by  emotion.  "  It  was  a  curious 
experience,"  he  says,  "to  sit  and  wait  for 
what  should  come  next,  and  to  wonder 
whether  it  was  really  the  case  that  music 
had  never  been  heard  till  the  year  1847." 
On  the  other  hand,  Mr.  Chorley  wrote  later 
on  to  the  effect  that  she  invariably  sang 
somewhat  sharp,  and  that  he  could  not  con- 
sider any  prima  donna  to  be  a  great  artist 
who  was  only  positively  successful  in  four 
operas,  —  "  Roberto,"     "  La    Sonnambula," 


86  Famous  Singers. 

"  La  Figlia  del  Reggimento,"  and  "  Le 
Nozze  di  Figaro."  In  Norma  she  was  a 
failure. 

But  again  Chorley  may  well  be  quoted : 
"  Of  all  the  singers  whom  I  have  ever  heard, 
Mile.  Lind  was  perhaps  the  most  assiduous. 
Her  resolution  to  offer  the  very  best  of  her 
best  to  the  public  seemed  part  and  parcel  of 
her  nature,  and  of  her  conscience.  Not  a 
note  was  neglected  by  her,  not  a  phrase 
slurred  over.  Her  execution  was  great,  and, 
as  is  always  the  case  with  voices  originally 
reluctant,  seemed  greater  than  it  really  was. 
Her  shake  was  true  and  brilliant,  her  taste 
in  ornament  was  altogether  original.  She 
used  her  pianissimo  tones  so  as  to  make 
them  resemble  an  effect  of  ventriloquism." 

Jenny  Lind's  tour  in  America  was  event- 
ful. It  began  with  a  serenade  by  a  band  of 
one  hundred  and  thirty  musicians,  preceded 
by  seven  hundred  of  the  firemen  of  New 
York.     The  demonstration  occurred  at  one 


Mario  to  Tietiens.  8/ 

o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  was  witnessed 
by  a  crowd  of  thirty  thousand  people.  The 
tickets  for  the  concerts  were  sold  by  auction, 
and  the  highest  price  paid  was  1^225,  —  by 
an  enterprising  business  man.  During  her 
stay  in  America,  Jenny  Lind  was  followed 
by  crowds  eager  to  see  her ;  receptions  were 
arranged,  and  everything  was  done  to  keep 
up  the  excitement.  She  was  under  the  man- 
agement of  Mr.  P.  T.  Barnum,  from  whom 
she  later  obtained  her  release  on  payment  of 
a  forfeit  of  $30,000. 

In  185  I  Mile.  Lind  put  herself  under  the 
management  of  Mr.  Otto  Goldschmidt,  a 
pianist  of  considerable  ability,  whom  she 
married  in  Boston.  In  1852  she  returned 
to  Europe  with  her  husband  and  settled  in 
Dresden,  but  eight  years  later  they  came 
to  England  and  resided  in  London,  whence 
they  moved  after  several  years  to  Malvern 
Wells.  In  1887  Madame  Lind  Goldschmidt 
died.     She   is   remembered  as   one  of  the 


88  Famous  Singers. 

sweetest  singers  and  most  charming  women 
of  her  time, 

A  singer  who  replaced  Fanny  Persiani  and 
surpassed  her  in  popularity,  who  sang  in 
the  same  roles  and  in  the  same  theatres 
as  Grisi,  and  who,  according  to  Chorley, 
was  the  most  ladylike  person  he  had  seen 
on  the  stage  of  the  Italian  opera,  except 
Madame  Sontag,  was  Angiolina  Bosio.  Born 
at  Turin  in  1830,  and  belonging  to  a  family 
of  artists,  both  musical  and  dramatic,  she 
made  her  first  appearance  at  the  age  of 
sixteen,  and  scored  a  decided  triumph.  In 
1848  she  sang  at  Paris,  but  without  her 
customary  success,  and  she  immediately 
made  a  tour  of  the  West,  visiting  Havana, 
New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  Boston,  in  all 
of  which  places  she  was  greatly  admired. 
In  185 1  she  returned  to  Europe,  and  married 
a  Greek  gentleman  named  Xindavelonis. 

She  returned  to  the  stage,  but  was  not 
favorably  received  until,  at  the  end  of  the 


Mario  to  Tietiens.  89 

season  of  1852,  she  sang  in  "I  Puritani,"  in 
the  place  of  Grisi.  This  was  the  turning- 
point  in  her  fortune,  and  her  popularity- 
increased  rapidly,  until  she  died  suddenly 
in  St.  Petersburg,  where  the  rigorous  climate 
was  too  severe  for  her  delicate  constitution. 
At  St.  Petersburg  she  was  nominated  pre- 
miere cantatrice,  an  honor  never  previously 
bestowed. 

Madame  Bosio  was  possessed  of  much  taste 
in  the  matter  of  dress,  together  with  a  grace- 
ful condescension  of  manner.  Her  features 
were  irregular,  and  yet  she  was  extremely 
pleasing,  so  much  so,  in  fact,  that  the  critics 
wrote  of  "  her  gay,  handsome  face."  Her 
most  remarkable  performance  was  in  "La 
Traviata,"  in  which  she  sang  with  the  tenor 
Gardoni  and  the  bass  Ronconi,  both  singers 
of  great  renown. 

The  greatest  contralto  of  the  middle  of  the 
century  was  undoubtedly  Marietta  Alboni,  the 
daughter  of  a  custom-house  officer  of  Casena, 


90  Famous  Singers. 

Romagna.  She  was  born  in  1822,  and,  like 
most  of  the  great  singers,  showed  her  talent 
early.  She  was  placed  under  good  teachers, 
and  attracted  the  attention  of  Rossini  by  her 
beautiful  voice.  He  took  so  much  interest 
in  her  that  he  gave  her  instruction  in  some 
of  her  parts.  Thus  she  had  the  honor  of 
being  Rossini's  only  pupil. 

In  1842  she  made  her  first  appearance  in 
opera,  and  was  soon  after  engaged  at  La 
Scala,  Milan,  where  she  remained  for  four 
years.  After  this  she  appeared  at  Vienna, 
and  then  she  travelled  through  Europe, 
creating  a  general  furore. 

Alboni  was  not  an  actress,  —  she  was  a 
singer  simply  and  absolutely,  and  her  singing 
was  such  as  to  carry  everything  before  it. 
The  tones  of  her  voice  were  rich,  full, 
mellow,  and  liquid,  —  sumptuous,  they  have 
been  called,  —  and  of  a  pure  and  sympa- 
thetic quality.  It  was  not  even,  for  the  upper 
register    was    thin.     Her    articulation    was 


Mario  to  Tietiens.  91 

perfectly  clear  and  fluent,  even  in  the  most 
difficult  passages,  and  her  style  and  method 
were  considered  models.  Her  figure,  though 
large,  was  graceful  and  commanding,  and  her 
disposition  was  amiable.  She  was  both  inde- 
pendent and  dignified.  While  in  Germany, 
and  comparatively  unknown,  she  declined  to 
seek  the  favor  of  the  press,  preferring  to 
trust  to  the  judgment  of  the  public. 

Once  upon  a  time,  when  Madame  Alboni 
was  at  Trieste,  she  was  informed  of  the  ex- 
istence of  a  plot  to  hiss  her  off  the  stage. 
Having  ascertained  the  names  of  her  detract- 
ors and  where  they  were  to  be  found,  she 
donned  male  attire,  in  which  her  short  hair 
and  robust  figure  helped  to  complete  her  dis- 
guise, and  went  to  the  caf6  at  which  the  con- 
spirators met.  Here  she  found  them  in  full 
consultation,  and,  taking  a  seat  at  a  table, 
she  listened  to  their  conversation  for  a  time. 
After  awhile  she  addressed  the  leader,  say- 
ing :  "  I  hear  that  you  intend  to  play  a  trick 


92  Famous  Singers. 

upon  some  one.  I  am  very  fond  of  a  little 
practical  joke  myself,  and  should  be  glad  if 
you  would  allow  me  to  join  you  on  this 
occasion." 

"  With  pleasure,"  was  the  reply ;  "  we  in- 
tend to  hiss  an  opera  singer  off  the  stage 
this  evening." 

"  Indeed,  and  of  what  is  she  guilty  ?  " 

"  Oh,  nothing  except  that,  being  an  Italian, 
she  has  sung  in  Munich  and  Vienna  to  Ger- 
man audiences,  and  we  think  she  ought  to 
receive  some  castigation  for  her  unpatriotic 
conduct." 

"  I  agree  with  you,  —  and  now  please  tell 
me  what  I  am  to  do." 

"  Take  this  whistle,"  said  the  leader.  "  At 
a  signal  to  be  given  at  the  conclusion  of  the 
air  sung  by  Rosina,  the  noise  will  begin,  and 
you  will  have  to  join  in." 

"I  shall  be  very  glad  to  do  so,"  replied 
the  singer,  and  put  the  whistle  in  her  pocket. 

In  the   evening  the  house  was  packed, 


Mario  to  Tietiens.  93 

every  seat  was  occupied,  and  the  audience 
warmly  applauded  the  opening  numbers  of 
the  opera.  In  due  course  Madame  Alboni 
appeared,  and  at  the  point  at  which  she  was 
about  to  address  her  tutor,  a  few  of  the  con- 
spirators began  to  make  a  disturbance,  not 
waiting  for  the  signal. 

Without  showing  any  concern,  Madame 
Alboni  walked  down  to  the  footlights,  and 
holding  up  the  whistle,  which  was  hung  to 
her  neck  by  a  ribbon,  she  exclaimed  :  "  Gen- 
tlemen, are  you  not  a  little  before  your  time } 
I  thought  we  were  not  to  commence  whis- 
tling until  after  I  had  sung  the  air." 

For  a  moment  a  deathlike  stillness  pre- 
vailed. Then,  suddenly,  the  house  broke 
into  thunders  of  applause,  which  was  led  by 
the  conspirators  themselves. 

Alboni  visited  the  United  States  in  1852, 
just  after  the  visit  of  Jenny  Lind,  and  re- 
ceived what  was  considered  a  cordial  wel- 
come.     Nevertheless   she  is   said  to   have 


^  Famous  Singers. 

expressed  some  disappointment.  In  1853 
she  married  the  Count  of  Pepoli,  and  soon 
after  retired.  She  did  not  again  sing  in 
public,  except  in  1871,  when  she  sang  the 
contralto  part  in  Rossini's  Mass,  a  part 
which  the  composer  had  desired,  before  his 
death,  that  she  would  take  when  it  was 
produced. 

In  social  life  the  Countess  of  Pepoli  was 
as  much  the  idol  of  her  friends  as  she  had 
previously  been  of  the  public.  In  1877  she 
married  a  second  time,  taking  Major  Zieger 
for  her  husband.  Her  death  took  place  at 
the  Ville  d'Avray,  Paris,  in  1894. 

For  several  years  the  favorite  tenor  on  the 
French  stage  was  Gustave  Hyppolite  Roger, 
a  man  of  amiable  and  benevolent  disposition, 
who  was  educated  for  the  legal  profession. 
He  was  born  in  1815,  at  La  Chapelle  St. 
Denis,  Paris,  and  entered  the  Conservatoire 
in  1 836,  carrying  off,  the  following  year,  the 
first  prizes  for  singing  and  comic  opera.     His 


Mario  to  Tietiens.  95 

ddbut  was  made  in  February,  1838,  and  he 
remained  at  the  Opera  Comique  for  ten 
years,  after  which  he  went  to  the  Academic, 
and  created  a  great  sensation  with  Madame 
Viardot,  in  "  Le  Prophete."  His  acting  was 
good  both  in  tragic  and  comic  parts,  and  he 
created  many  new  r61es. 

In  1859  he  met  with  an  unfortunate  acci- 
dent, and  lost  his  right  arm  by  the  bursting 
of  a  gun,  and  this  put  an  end  to  his  operatic 
career  in  Paris.  He  continued,  however,  to 
sing  in  provincial  towns  and  in  Germany, 
until  1 86 1,  when  he  reappeared  at  the  Opera 
Comique.  But  it  was  evident  that  the  time 
for  his  retirement  had  come,  and  he  took 
pupils,  becoming  a  professor  of  singing  at 
the  Conservatoire  in  1868,  and  holding  the 
position  until  his  death  in   1879. 

The  mantle  of  Braham,  the  greatest 
English  tenor  of  his  day,  descended  to  John 
Sims  Reeves,  the  son  of  a  musician,  who 
was  bom  at  Shooter's  Hill,  Kent,  in   1822. 


96  Famous  Singers. 

Reeves,  we  are  told,  received  the  traditions 
of  Braham,  and  refined  them. 

He  obtained  his  early  musical  instruction 
from  his  father,  and  at  fourteen  held  the 
position  of  organist  at  North  Gray  Church. 
Upon  gaining  his  mature  voice  he  determined 
to  be  a  singer,  and  at  first  sang  baritone  and 
second  tenor  parts,  making  his  debut  in 
opera,  at  Newcastle-on-Tyne,  as  Count  Ru- 
dolph© in  "  La  Sonnambula."  Before  long 
his  voice  developed  into  a  tenor  of  an 
exceptionally  beautiful  quality,  and,  in  1847, 
when  he  appeared  at  Drury  Lane,  he  at 
once  took  a  position  as  a  singer  of  the  first 
rank.  His  acting,  too,  was  natural  and  easy, 
manly,  and  to  the  purpose,  exhibiting  both 
passion  and  power  without    exaggeration. 

His  greatest  triumph,  however,  was 
achieved  in  oratorio,  and  his  performance  of 
"The  Enemy  Said,"  in  "Israel  in  Egypt," 
at  the  Crystal  Palace,  in  1857,  was  of  such  a 
nature  as  to  electrify  his  hearers. 


Mario  to  Tietiens.  97 

In  England  the  name  of  Sims  Reeves 
was  for  many  years  sufficient  to  draw  an 
audience  large  enough  to  fill  any  auditorium 
to  overflowing,  although  he  frequently  disap- 
pointed the  public  by  non-appearance.  It 
was  known  that  he  considered  it  wiser  to 
disappoint  the  public  than  to  risk  losing  his 
voice,  and,  as  a  result,  people  soon  realized 
that  to  hear  him  once  was  sufficient  to  atone 
for  several  disappointments.  To  the  general 
public  Sims  Reeves  endeared  himself  chiefly 
by  his  exquisite  ballad  singing ;  and,  just 
as  Patti  is  associated  with  "  Home,  Sweet 
Home,"  his  name  is  coupled  with  "  Come  into 
the  Garden,  Maud." 

Up  to  the  age  of  seventy,  Sims  Reeves 
appeared  occasionally  in  concerts,  and  even 
at  the  present  day  he  can  secure  an  audi- 
ence, although  his  powers  have  long  since 
passed  away. 

Enrico  Tamberlik,  who  flourished  during 
the  middle  of  the  century,  was  a  tenor  of 


98  Famous  Singers. 

high  rank.  He  belonged  to  the  class  of 
*'  tenore  di  forza,"  and  used  to  make  a  tre- 
mendous effect  with  his  high  C,  which  he 
produced  with  immense  power.  His  voice 
was  one  of  great  richness  of  tone  and  vol- 
ume, but  his  singing  was  marred  by  the  per- 
sistent use  of  the  vibrato,  a  fault  all  too 
common. 

Tamberlik,  like  Sims  Reeves  and  Jean  de 
Reszke,  sang  originally  as  a  baritone,  and 
developed  later  into  a  tenor.  His  delivery 
was  grand  and  noble,  his  phrasing  perfect, 
and  he  sang  with  a  great  depth  of  expression. 
His  elocution  was  so  fine  that  every  word 
was  delivered  with  full  effect,  and  his  dra- 
matic power  was  unusually  great.  He  was 
seen  to  best  advantage  in  heroic  parts,  in 
which  his  fine  figure  and  majestic  bearing, 
together  with  the  power  and  resonance  of 
his  voice,  were  displayed. 

Tamberlik  was  born  at  Rome  in  1820, 
made  his  d^but  at  Naples  in  1841,  and  soon 


Ls^^yOj  .yuwi€^ 


Mario  to  Tietiens.  99 

built  up  a  great  reputation.  In  1850  he 
appeared  in  London,  and  became  so  great  a 
favorite  that  he  was  engaged  there  every 
season  until  1864.  In  1874  he  made  a 
tour  of  the  United  States,  and  he  is  said 
to  have  been  the  first  tenor  of  importance 
who  visited  South  America,  singing  at  Rio 
Janeiro,  Buenos  Ayres,  and  Montevideo. 

One  of  his  most  notable  performances  was 
in  1 87 1,  when  he  took  the  part  of  Otello,  in 
Rossini's  opera  of  that  name,  with  Faure  as 
lago,  and  Nilsson  as  Desdemona. 

Tamberlik  was  a  shrewd  man  of  business, 
but  an  excellent  companion.  His  conversa- 
tional powers  were  immense,  and  as  he  had 
come  in  contact  with,  and  known  intimately, 
many  men  and  women  famous  in  the  world 
of  fashion,  art,  and  literature,  he  had  an  end- 
less fund  of  interesting  anecdotes.  In  1 877 
he  retired  from  the  stage,  having  the  good 
sense  to  seek  private  life  before  his  powers 
had  faded.      He    settled    in    Madrid,   and 


lOO  Famous  Singers, 

became  a  manufacturer  of  arms.  While  in 
retirement  he  had  the  rare  experience  of 
reading  his  own  obituary  notices,  for,  in  1882, 
a  rumor  of  his  death  went  forth  into  Italy  and 
France.  Though  it  was  entirely  without 
foundation,  the  press  at  once  teemed  with 
eulogistic  biographies  of  the  great  tenor, 
which  were  copied  throughout  Europe.  As 
they  were  highly  complimentary,  the  subject 
was  much  pleased,  and  made  a  collection  of 
them  which  he  pasted  into  an  album  and 
enjoyed  for  seven  years.     He  died  in  1889. 

During  the  same  period  there  flourished 
Karl  Formes,  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
bassos  of  his  time,  who  was  popular  in  spite 
of  the  fact  that  he  frequently  offended  by 
false  intonation. 

Formes  was  the  son  of  a  sexton  of  Muhl- 
heim  on  the  Rhine,  and  was  born  in  1810. 
He  gained  the  greater  part  of  his  musical 
education  by  singing  in  the  choir  of  the 
church.     He  grew  up  with  a  strong  love  for 


Mario  to  Tietiens.  loi 

the  drama,  as  well  as  for  music,  and  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  his  enthusiasm  was  such  that 
when  Essler,  the  actor,  visited  Cologne, 
young  Formes,  not  having  sufficient  money 
to  pay  both  for  the  ferry  and  his  ticket,  tied 
his  clothes  around  his  neck,  and  swam  the 
Rhine,  rather  than  miss  the  performance. 
When  Staudigl,  the  bass  singer,  visited  the 
same  city,  Formes  listened  to  his  singing 
with  awe,  and  the  next  season  he  begged  to 
be  allowed  to  sing  the  part  of  Bertram  at 
the  opera.  This  was  one  of  Staudigl's  fa- 
vorite roles,  Staudigl,  who  heard  the  per- 
formance, was  so  pleased  that  he  introduced 
Formes  as  his  successor. 

Formes,  however,  first  came  into  notice 
by  singing  at  some  concerts  given  for  the 
benefit  of  the  Cathedral  fund,  at  Cologne,  in 
1 84 1.  In  the  following  year  he  made  his 
operatic  d^but,  his  success  leading  to  an  en- 
gagement for  three  years.  He  then  sang  in 
Vienna,  and  in  1 849  appeared  in  London  with 


102  Famous  Singers. 

a  German  company,  taking  the  part  of  Zara- 
stro  in  the  "  Zauberflote,"  at  Drury  Lane 
Theatre.  The  next  year  he  was  engaged  for 
Italian  opera,  at  Covent  Garden,  and  sang 
there  every  season  for  some  fifteen  years. 

He  had  a  voice  which,  for  volume,  com- 
pass, and  quality,  was  one  of  the  most 
magnificent  ever  heard,  a  stage  presence 
handsome  and  attractive,  and  exceptional 
dramatic  ability. 

Formes  was  a  man  of  unsettled,  roving 
disposition,  and  spent  much  of  his  time  in 
Russia  and  in  Spain,  but  in  1857  he  visited 
the  United  States,  and  eventually  began  a 
wandering  life  in  this  country,  going  wher- 
ever fancy  took  him,  and  singing  in  almost 
all  the  larger  cities. 

In  1882  he,  being  then  seventy-two  years 
of  age,  married  a  Miss  Pauline  Greenwood, 
who  had  been  one  of  his  pupils  in  Philadel- 
phia. Shortly  afterwards  the  happy  couple 
settled  in   San    Francisco,   where    he    fre- 


Mario  to  Tietiens.  103 

quently  sang  in  concerts,  and  where  he  had 
a  number  of  pupils.  His  voice  was  wonder- 
fully well  preserved,  and  he  was  strong  and 
active,  giving  some  fifteen  lessons  daily, 
until  his  death  in   1889. 

Niemann  is  authority  for  a  story  about 
Formes.  Once  when  he  was  in  Germany, 
Formes  was  very  anxious  to  sing  at  court, 
and  Niemann  succeeded  in  securing  for  him 
the  opportunity.  According  to  Niemann's 
ideas  of  art,  Formes  sang  atrociously,  bellow- 
ing and  shouting  in  stentorian  tones. 
Niemann  was  in  an  agony  throughout  the 
performance,  thinking  of  his  responsibility ; 
but,  to  his  surprise,  when  the  song  was  over, 
the  old  Emperor  William  I.  applauded  loudly, 
and  seemed  highly  delighted,  and  demanded 
an  encore.  He  probably  thought  what  a 
fine  dragoon  officer  Formes  would  have 
made,  shouting  commands  with  his  great 
voice. 

At  about  the  same  time  there  flourished 


164  Famous  Singers. 

another  tenor  of  high  rank,  whose  career  was 
confined  almost  entirely  to  Germany,  Joseph 
Alois  Tichatschek.  He  was  born  in  1807, 
at  Ober  Weckelsdorf,  in  Bohemia,  and 
became  a  chorus  singer  in  1830,  rising  in 
his  profession  until,  in  1837,  he  made  his 
debut  as  a  soloist  at  Dresden.  In  1841  he 
sang  for  a  few  nights  in  London,  at  Drury 
Lane,  during  a  season  of  German  opera ; 
also  at  Liverpool  and  Manchester,  and  was 
described  as  "young,  prepossessing,  and  a 
good  actor ;  his  voice  is  excellent,  and  his 
style,  though  not  wanting  in  cultivation,  is 
more  indebted  to  nature  than  to  art."  He 
was  also  said  to  have  proved  himself  "the 
hit  of  the  season."  Tichatschek  died  in 
1886. 

A  singer  who  was  much  more  widely 
known,  and  who  belonged  to  the  time  of 
Grisi,  Mario,  Lablache,  and  the  great  oper- 
atic representations  of  those  days,  was 
Georgio  Ronconi,  the  baritone.     He  had  a 


Mario  to  Tietiens.  105 

reputation  extending  throughout  Europe  and 
into  America,  and  he  owes  his  celebrity 
rather  to  histrionic  powers  than  to  his  voice, 
for  we  are  told  by  Chorley  that  "  there  are 
few  instances  of  a  voice  so  limited  in  com- 
pass (hardly  exceeding  an  octave),  so  inferior 
in  quality,  so  weak,  so  habitually  out  of  tune. 
The  low  stature,  the  features  unmarked  and 
commonplace,  when  silent,  promising  noth- 
ing to  an  audience,  yet  which  could  express 
a  dignity  of  bearing,  a  tragic  passion  not  to 
be  exceeded,  or  an  exuberance  of  the  wild- 
est, quaintest,  most  whimsical,  most  sponta- 
neous comedy.  These  things  we  have  seen, 
and  have  forgotten  personal  insignificance, 
vocal  power  beyond  mediocrity,  every  dis- 
qualification, in  the  spell  of  strong,  real 
sensibility."  It  was  one  of  the  many  cases 
in  which  dramatic  talent  has  made  up  for 
lack  of  voice. 

Ronconi  sang  for  many  years  in  London, 
in  all  the  great  comic  operas.     He  retired  in 


I06  Famous  Singers. 

1874,  and  became  a  teacher  of  singing.  He 
died  in  1890. 

In  1849  two  stars  of  importance  appeared 
on  the  operatic  horizon,  —  Madame  Marie 
Caroline  Felix  Miolan  Carvalho,  and  Mile. 
Theresa  Carolin  Johanna  Tietiens. 

Madame  Carvalho  became  the  foremost 
lyric  artist  on  the  French  stage,  and  was  en- 
gaged for  many  years  at  the  Opera  Comique 
and  at  the  Grand  Opera  in  Paris,  but  she 
also  sang  frequently  in  London,  Berlin, 
St.  Petersburg,  and  other  cities  of  Europe. 
Her  first  public  appearance  was  made  at  a 
performance  for  the  benefit  of  Duprez,  her 
teacher,  and  she  sang  in  the  first  act  of 
"  Lucia,"  and  in  the  trio  in  the  second  act 
of  "  La  Juive."  Her  last  appearance,  which 
took  place  in  1887,  two  years  after  her  re- 
tirement from  the  stage,  was  also  at  a  bene- 
fit, —  a  concert  in  aid  of  the  sufferers  by 
the  fire  at  the  Opera  Comique.  On  this 
occasion  she  sang  with  Faure, 


Mario  to  Tietiens.  107 

Madame  Carvalho  was  the  daughter  of  an 
oboe  player  named  Felix  Miolan,  who  edu- 
cated her  musically  until  she  entered  the 
Paris  Conservatoire,  and  studied  with  Du- 
prez,  gaining,  in  1847,  the  first  prize  for 
singing.  Her  voice  was  high  and  thin,  but 
was  used  with  consummate  skill  and  deli- 
cacy, and  her  interpretation  of  the  role  of 
Marguerite,  in  "  Faust,"  was  considered  a 
most  complete  and  delightful  personation. 

She  was  a  native  of  Marseilles,  born  in 
1827.  In  1853  she  married  Leon  Carvail]6, 
more  generally  known  as  Carvalho,  who 
became  director  of  the  Opera  Comique.  He 
held  this  position  at  the  time  of  the  fire  ;  and, 
as  the  accident  was  judged  to  have  been  due 
to  the  carelessness  of  the  management,  Car- 
valho was  fined  and  imprisoned.  Madame 
Carvalho  died  in  1895,  at  Puys,  near  Dieppe. 

Tietiens  has  been  called  the  last  of  the 
great  race  of  dramatic  singers  made  splendid 
by  such  as  Pasta,  Malibran,  Grisi,  and  Viar- 


io8  Famous  Singers. 

dot-Garcia.  Never  was  so  mighty  a  voice 
so  sweet  and  luscious  in  its  tone.  It  had 
none  of  the  soprano  shrillness,  but  was  more 
of  a  mezzo  soprano  quality  throughout,  and 
softer  than  velvet.  Her  style  of  singing  was 
noble  and  pure,  her  acting  was  earnest,  ani- 
mated, and  forcible,  her  stage  presence  was 
imposing.  Such  parts  as  Norma  and  Lucre- 
tia  Borgia  are  said  to  have  died  with  her,  so 
grand  was  her  interpretation  of  them,  and 
she  sang  the  part  of  Ortrud  in  "  Lohengrin  " 
so  finely  that,  in  all  probability,  she  would 
have  become  noted  as  a  Wagnerian  singer 
had  not  death  snatched  her  away  in  her 
prime.  No  singer  ever  became  more  pop- 
ular in  England,  where  she  lived  for  many 
years,  and  where  her  death  was  considered 
as  a  national  loss.  Mile.  Tietiens  was  born 
in  Hamburg,  in  183 1,  of  Hungarian  parents, 
and  first  appeared  in  opera  in  that  city  at 
the  age  of  eighteen.  She  sang  in  London 
every  season  from  1859  till  1877,  the  year 


Mario  to  Tietiens.  IO9 

of  her  death,  and  was  as  great  an  oratorio 
smger  as  she  was  operatic  artist.  Mile. 
Tietiens  was  tall,  massive,  and  dignified, 
and  dominated  the  stage  with  her  pres- 
ence. In  1876  she  visited  the  United 
States,  and  made  a  concert  tour,  but  none 
could  have  a  full  conception  of  her  power 
who  did  not  see  her  in  one  of  her  great 
parts.  Like  other  singers  who  have  for 
years  maintained  their  popularity  in  Eng- 
land, her  private  life  was  most  admirable, 
and  her  kind  and  charitable  nature  endeared 
her  to  the  nation. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

PRIMA    DONNAS    OF   THE    FIFTIES. 

The  years  immediately  following  1850 
were  rather  barren  of  stars  of  the  first 
magnitude  in  the  line  of  sopranos,  although 
Stockhausen,  Faure,  Wachtel,  and  Nicolini 
all  belong  to  that  period,  besides  Adelaide 
Phillips,  the  contralto. 

The  chief  soprano  of  the  year  185 1  was 
Madame  Nantier-Didier,  a  native  of  the  Isle 
of  Bourbon,  who  had  a  somewhat  successful 
career  in  the  chief  cities  of  Europe,  but  who 
was  considered  "  a  first-rate  singer  of  the 
second  class."  She  had  a  gay,  handsome 
face,  a  winning  mezzo  soprano  voice,  and 
neat  execution. 

In  the  following  year  appeared  two  singers 
no 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Fifties.         in 

of  high  rank,  Maria  Piccolomini,  and  Euphro- 
sine  Parepa,  more  generally  known  as  Ma- 
dame Parepa-Rosa. 

Piccolomini  owed  her  success  chiefly  to 
her  clever  acting,  and  her  charming  little 
figure.  Her  voice  was  weak  and  limited, 
and  she  was  not  sure  in  her  intonation,  nor 
did  she  excel  in  execution.  She  visited  the 
United  States  in  1858,  and  was  well  re- 
ceived. Her  stage  career  was  not  very  long, 
for  she  retired  in  1863,  and  married  the 
Marchese   Gaetani. 

Parepa-Rosa  was  born  in  Scotland,  at 
Edinburgh.  Her  father  was  a  Wallachian 
boyard,  and  her  mother  (Elizabeth  Seguin) 
a  singer  of  some  repute.  Parepa's  full 
name  was  Euphrosyne  Parepa  de  Boyesku. 
She  was  a  well-educated  woman,  speaking 
and  writing  several  languages  correctly,  and 
she  had  a  voice  of  great  power  and  sweet- 
ness, with  a  range  of  two  and  a  half  octaves. 
She  was,  also,  a  woman  of  fine  figure  and 


112  Famous  Singers. 

imposing  stage  presence.  Her  reputation 
was  gained,  however,  more  in  concert  and 
oratorio  than  in  opera,  but  her  memory  will 
remain  in  America  as  that  of  one  who  did 
much  towards  the  cultivation  of  the  public 
taste  for  opera. 

In  1865  she  came  to  America  on  a  tour 
with  Mr.  Carl  Rosa,  whom  she  married  in 
1867,  her  first  husband,  Captain  De  Wolfe 
Carvell,  having  died  in  1865.  After  this 
they  remained  for  four  years,  during  which 
time  they  organized  the  Carl  Rosa  Opera 
Company,  for  the  performance  of  English 
and  Italian  opera.  Madame  Parepa-Rosa 
was  the  principal  singer,  and  the  company 
met  with  great  success,  singing  not  only  in 
opera,  but  also  in  oratorio  and  concerts.  In 
1 87 1  they  went  to  Cairo,  Egypt,  on  account 
of  Carl  Rosa's  health,  but  they  returned  to 
America  before  winter,  bringing  with  them 
Wachtel,  the  German  tenor,  and  Santley, 
the  English  baritone. 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Fifties.         113 

In  1873  they  again  returned  to  Europe, 
but  Madame  Rosa  was  soon  afterwards 
seized  with  an  illness  which  terminated  in 
her  death  in  January,  1 874.  The  Carl  Rosa 
Opera  Company,  which  was  thus  established, 
remained  in  existence  until  recently,  and  has 
been  a  successful  company,  always  employ- 
ing several  singers  of  high  rank.  In  1898, 
owing  to  a  declining  business,  it  was  decided 
to  wind  the  company  up,  or  reorganize  it, 
and  meetings  were  held  to  decide  the 
matter. 

The  star  of  1856  was  Madame  Peschka- 
Leutner,  who  sang  in  1872  at  the  Jubilee 
festival  in  Boston.  Although  she  had  ap- 
peared in  London,  she  was  but  little  known 
outside  of  her  own  country,  where  she  was 
very  popular.  She  died  at  Wiesbaden  in 
1890. 

Before  i860  the  French  stage  also  pro- 
duced two  singers  of  high  rank.  In  1858 
Madame  Art6t  made  her  debut  at  the  Paris 


114  Famous  Singers. 

Opera,  though  she  had  already  been  heard  in 
concerts  in  Belgium,  Holland,  and  England. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  the  horn  professor 
at  the  Brussels  Conservatoire,  and  was 
taught  singing  by  Madame  Viardot-Garcia. 
Her  engagement  at  Paris  was  due  to  Meyer- 
beer, and  her  success  was  such  as  to  draw 
praise  even  from  the  extremely  critical 
Berlioz.  In  the  following  year  she  took  to 
Italian  opera,  and  for  many  years  was  well 
known  throughout  Europe. 

Marguerite  Josephine  D6sir6e  Montaigny 
Art6t,  for  such  was  her  name  in  full,  was 
born  in  1835,  and  in  1869  she  married  a  well- 
known  Spanish  tenor,  Padilla-y-Ramos.  To- 
gether they  sang  in  most  of  the  great  European 
cities  until  their  retirement.  As  late  as  1887 
they  sang  in  Berlin,  in  which  city  Madame 
Art6t  settled  as  a  teacher  of  singing. 

Madame  Galli-Mari6,  whose  celebrity  as 
Mignon  and  Carmen  is  world-wide,  was  the 
daughter  of  an  opera  singer,  Mecene  Mari6 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Fifties.         115 

de  risle.  She  made  her  ddbut  at  Strasburg 
in  1859,  and  about  the  same  time  married 
a  sculptor  named  Galli,  who  died  in  1861. 
Madame  Galli-Mari^'s  dramatic  talent  was 
great,  and  she  has  succeeded  in  characters  of 
entirely  opposite  nature.  Her  voice  was  not 
remarkable ;  but,  like  many  of  the  most  re- 
nowned artists  of  the  century,  her  originality 
and  artistic  temperament  were  sufficient  to 
place  her  in  the  first  rank. 

When  "  Carmen  "  was  produced,  and  Ma- 
dame Galli-Marie  was  chosen  for  the  title 
role,  Bizet  re-wrote  the  part  to  suit  her  voice, 
which  was  of  limited  range,  having  neither 
the  low  notes  of  a  contralto  nor  the  high 
ones  of  the  soprano.  She  was,  however, 
owing  to  her  dramatic  capabilities,  not  only 
the  first  but  one  of  the  best  Carmens  seen 
untU  the  time  of  Calv6. 

In  1859  there  arose  from  the  opposite  ends 
of  the  earth,  two  stars  of  the  first  magnitude, 
whose  brilliancy  was  sufficient  to  silence  the 


Il6  Famous  Singers. 

complaints  of  those  who  declared  that  the 
art  of  singing  was  a  lost  art.  Such  wails 
have  arisen  from  time  to  time  ever  since 
opera  was  established,  and  possibly  they  may 
have  existed  in  some  form  previous  to  that 
time,  but  up  to  the  present  date  there  is  good 
evidence  that  the  art  of  singing  flourishes. 
It  is  human  nature  to  declare  that  things  of 
the  past  were  superior  to  those  of  the  present, 
and  in  their  day  Cuzzoni,  Gabrielli,  Catalani, 
Pasta,  Grisi,  and  Jenny  Lind,  besides  a  num- 
ber of  others,  were  all  such  singers  **  as  had 
never  before  been  heard." 

Between  Pauline  Lucca  and  Adelina  Patti 
there  was  a  wide  difference,  and  yet  both 
singers  triumphed  in  the  same  parts. 

Lucca  made  her  debut  at  Olmutz  as  Elvira 
in  "  Emani,"  Patti  first  appeared  in  New 
York  as  Lucia.  Both  Lucca  and  Patti  made 
their  d6but  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  though 
some  authorities  state  that  Lucca  was  born 
in  1 84 1  ;  and  both  singers  followed  in  matri- 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Fifties.         1 1 7 

mony   the  conventional  course  of  the  prima 
donna,  and  married  twice. 

Pauline  Lucca  was  born  in  Vienna,  her 
father  being  an  Italian  merchant  in  comfort- 
able circumstances.  Pauline's  high  musical 
gifts  attracted  attention  early,  but  her  father 
objected  to  the  idea  of  educating  her  for  the 
stage.  When  she  was  about  thirteen  years 
old  business  reverses  caused  him  to  change 
his  mind,  and  Pauline  was  placed  under  the 
best  available  teachers. 

In  due  course  an  engagement  was  secured 
for  her  at  Olmutz,  and  she  at  once  became 
a  favorite.  For  four  months  she  sang  at  a 
salary  of  sixty  florins  a  month,  and  then  she 
was  engaged  at  Prague  at  five  hundred  florins 
a  month.  Her  next  engagement  was  at  Ber- 
lin at  one  thousand  thalers  a  month. 

Her  popularity  at  Olmutz  was  so  great  that 
before  she  left  that  place  she  was  honored  by 
the  inhabitants  with  a  musical  serenade  and 
torchlight  procession. 


Il8  Famous  Singers. 

It  happened  that  about  this  time  Meyer- 
beer, the  composer,  was  casting  his  eye  over 
the  operatic  world  for  a  singer  to  whom  he 
felt  that  he  could  entrust  the  creation  of  the 
part  of  Selika  in  his  yet  unpublished  "  L'Afri- 
caine."  He  heard  of  Lucca,  and  when  she 
was  singing  at  Prague  he  came  over  from  Ber- 
lin on  purpose  to  hear  her.  So  pleased  was 
he  with  her  performance  that  after  the  opera 
he  desired  to  be  presented  to  her,  and  on 
being  taken  to  her  room,  he  rushed  up  to  her 
and  kissed  her  vehemently  on  both  cheeks, 
much  to  the  surprise  and  embarrassment  of 
the  young  lady,  who  had  no  idea  as  to  his 
identity.  A  modern  prima  donna,  not  long 
ago,  experienced  a  similar  burst  of  enthusi- 
asm from  an  unknown  elderly  gentleman  who 
also  shed  tears.  After  he  had  gone,  and  she 
had  recovered  from  her  surprise,  she  missed 
a  very  valuable  piece  of  jewelry.  It  is  only 
proper,  therefore,  for  all  composers  intending 
to  make  a  demonstration  to  send  word  before- 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Fifties.         119 

hand.  On  the  following  day  Meyerbeer  called 
at  her  hotel  and  offered  Mile.  Lucca  an  en- 
gagement at  Berlin,  which  she  accepted,  and 
which  took  effect  at  the  end  of  her  Prague 
engagement,  eight  months  later. 

During  these  eight  months  Lucca  received 
a  proposal  of  marriage  from  the  young  Prince 
Lobkowitz,  who  had  fallen  desperately  in  love 
with  her ;  but  she  did  not  listen  to  his 
appeals,  and  the  unfortunate  prince  was  re- 
jected. Some  time  after  this  event,  which 
was  so  mortifying  as  to  probably  affect  his 
disposition,  he  sought  and  found  death  on 
the  field  of  honor,  becoming  involved  in  a 
duel. 

Lucca  now  went  to  Berlin.  Meyerbeer 
took  her  under  his  own  immediate  charge, 
and  she  appeared  in  three  of  his  greatest 
characters,  Alice  in  "  Roberto,"  Bertha  in 
"  II  Prophet e,"  and  Vielka  in  the  **  Camp  of 
Silesia."  She  was  in  her  eighteenth  year, 
and  her  beauty   both  of  person  and   voice 


I20  Famous  Singers. 

excited  the  greatest  admiration  and  drove  the 
Berlin  public  wild  with  rapture.  Under 
Meyerbeer's  supervision  she  gained  splendid 
triumphs  and  was  appointed  court  singer  for 
life. 

During  this  time  of  triumph  in  Berlin  she 
was  visited  by  Adelina  Patti,  whose  fame 
was  also  spreading  over  Europe ;  in  fact,  if 
one  may  judge  by  financial  results,  Patti's 
star  was  much  higher  in  the  heavens  than 
that  of  Lucca,  for  whereas  Lucca  was  receiv- 
ing one  thousand  thalers  a  month,  Patti  was 
being  paid  one  thousand  francs  a  night. 
Lucca  was  living  in  apartments  on  a  fourth 
floor,  in  quite  an  unconventional  style,  and 
was  in  bed  when  Patti  called.  Nevertheless, 
she  received  her  visitor,  and  Strakosch,  her 
manager,  with  many  signs  of  unaffected 
pleasure,  and  they  became  firm  friends,  their 
rivalry  being  confined  to  the  stage. 

Lucca's  progress  to  fame  was  now  very 
rapid.     She  appeared  in  London  in  1863  and 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Fifties.         1 2 1 

1864,  making  a  remarkable  impression.  In 
1865  Meyerbeer's  "  L'Africaine "  was  to  be 
produced  in  Paris,  and  he  was  anxious  that 
Lucca  should  sing  the  part  of  Selika,  but 
this  was  impossible  without  the  consent  of 
the  King  of  Prussia,  and  as  he  was  opposed 
to  her  singing  in  Paris  at  that  time,  he  would 
not  give  the  necessary  consent.  Meyerbeer 
felt  so  strongly  on  the  subject  that  he  added 
a  codicil  to  his  will  stating  that,  if  Pauline 
Lucca  was  engaged  to  sing  Selika  at  the 
Opera  House  in  Berlin,  the  work  might 
be  sung  there  in  German,  —  otherwise,  he 
forbade  its  production.  "  L'Africaine  "  was 
produced  in  Paris  on  April  28,  1865  ;  but 
Meyerbeer  never  witnessed  its  performance 
in  public,  for  he  was  seized  with  illness  on 
April  23d  of  that  year,  and  died  on  May  2d. 
In  London  this  opera  was  produced  on 
July  22d,  and  Lucca  sang  the  part  for  which 
Meyerbeer  had  selected  her,  as  she  also  did 
at  Berlin.     Her  performance  in  London  i« 


122  Famous  Singers. 

on  record  as  one  of  the  very  highest  achieve- 
ments in  the  lyrical  drama.  In  Berlin  she 
created  a  perfect  furore,  singing  in  a  com- 
pany which  introduced  Wachtel  and  Betz. 
While  the  performance  was  in  progress,  the 
house  and  even  the  carriage  of  the  young 
prima  donna  were  decorated  with  the  rarest 
and  most  beautiful  flowers,  and  with  such 
profusion  that  she  was  hardly  able  to  rec- 
ognize her  home. 

The  Czar  of  Russia  now  wished  to  hear 
this  incomparable  singer,  so  he  sent  a  polite 
message  to  the  King  of  Prussia,  requesting 
that  she  be  allowed  to  sing  at  St.  Petersburg, 
and  offering  her  a  salary  of  eighty  thousand 
rubles  for  the  season  of  four  months.  The 
King  of  Prussia  had  not  the  same  scruples 
concerning  Russia  that  he  had  about  France, 
so  his  gracious  consent  was  given,  as  it  was, 
also,  on  the  following  season. 

Lucca  made  an  immense  impression  at  St. 
Petersburg,  where  at  the  end  of  the  season 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Fifties.  123 

she  was  serenaded  by  the  band  of  the  Impe- 
rial Guards.  The  streets  were  illuminated 
from  the  theatre  to  her  house  at  the  orders 
of  the  Crown  Princess  Dagmar,  the  Empress 
gave  her  a  priceless  and  beautiful  pair  of 
diamond  earrings,  the  public,  through  the 
leader  of  the  orchestra,  presented  her  with 
a  splendid  diadem  covered  with  precious 
stones,  and  the  members  of  the  orchestra 
subscribed  and  made  her  a  present  of  a  laurel 
wreath  in  gold.  But  the  greatest  demonstra- 
tion in  her  honor  occurred  when  she  organ- 
ized a  concert  for  the  benefit  of  indigent 
students,  the  receipts  of  which  exceeded  ten 
thousand  rubles.  Then  she  was  called  for- 
ward thirty  times,  and  the  students  unhar- 
nessed her  horses  and  dragged  her  carriage 
home.  They  seized  her  shawl  and  tore  it 
into  fragments  for  mementos,  and  she  also 
had  to  give  up  her  gloves  and  handkerchief 
for  the  same  purpose. 

Similar  demonstrations  have  taken  place 


124  Famous  Singers. 

at  different  times,  and  in  other  cities,  in 
honor  of  other  singers.  It  is  quite  an  ordi- 
nary matter  in  Russia  for  a  singer  to  be 
called  forward  ten  or  twenty  times,  and 
even  thirty  times  is  not  by  any  means  so 
extraordinary  as  it  would  be  in  London  or 
New  York,  or,  more  particularly,  in  Boston. 

Jenny  Lind  lost  a  shawl  in  New  York 
through  the  enthusiasm  of  the  public,  and 
in  1 88 1  Patti  enjoyed  the  experience  in 
Brooklyn  of  being  dragged  home  by  a  crowd 
of  enthusiasts. 

Perhaps  Patti  had  the  most  curious  dem- 
onstration in  London,  just  before  she  sailed 
for  New  York  under  Mapleson's  manage- 
ment, and  Mapleson  is  the  authority  for  the 
anecdote. 

After  the  last  performance  of  the  season, 
Patti  was  escorted  from  the  theatre  to  the 
train  en  route  for  Liverpool  by  a  procession 
of  theatrical  people  in  costume,  with  a  brass 
band.     This  was  at  one  o'clock  in  the  mom' 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Fifties.         125 

ing.  Full  accounts  of  it  were,  of  course, 
obtained  somehow  by  the  American  papers. 
In  1865  Pauline  Lucca  had  married  a 
German  military  officer.  Baron  von  Rahden, 
who,  when  the  Franco-German  war  broke 
out,  went  to  the  front,  and  was  severely 
wounded  in  the  celebrated  charge  of  Mars- 
La-Tour.  Lucca,  hearing  of  his  misfortune, 
made  her  way  to  the  scene  of  the  conflict, 
and  sought  him  out  in  the  military  hospital, 
where  she  tenderly  nursed  him  until  he  could 
be  taken  home.  Her  devotion  to  him  was 
admirable ;  but,  unfortunately,  a  change  in 
her  feelings  seems  to  have  occurred  before 
very  long,  for  when  in  1872  she  was  in  New 
York  she  brought  suit  for  divorce  against 
the  Baron,  and  he,  being  unaware  of  the  pro- 
ceedings, made  no  defence,  so  that  rightly 
or  otherwise  Madame  Lucca  secured  her 
divorce.  Later  on,  when  von  Rahden  for- 
warded papers  which  were  supposed  to 
establish  his  innocence  of  the  charges  made 


126  Famous  Singers. 

against  him  by  his  irate  and  jealous  spouse, 
the  case  was  closed,  and  no  notice  was  taken 
of  the  defence.  Matters  seem,  however,  to 
have  arranged  themselves  to  the  satisfaction 
of  all  concerned,  for  the  Baron  married  the 
young  lady  who  had  been  the  cause  of 
Lucca's  jealousy,  and  Lucca  married  Baron 
von  Wallhofen,  an  intimate  friend  of  Von 
Rahden,  who,  also,  had  been  wounded  at 
Mars-La-Tour,  and  who  had  followed  her  to 
America. 

Pauline  Lucca  was  one  of  the  few  singers 
gifted  with  original  genius,  and  she  imparted 
specific  individuality  to  each  of  her  charac- 
ters, even  the  most  colorless.  Her  versatility 
was  very  great,  and  she  had  a  repertoire 
of  fifty-six  r61es.  Her  voice  was  a  full  so- 
prano of  sympathetic  quality,  and  with  a 
range  of  two  and  a  half  octaves,  extending 
to  C  in  alt,  and  capable  of  expressing 
every  kind  of  emotion.  Like  Patti  she  was 
of  slender  figure,  and  at  one  time  she  played 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Fifties.        127 

Marguerite  in  "  Faust  "  on  alternate  nights 
with  her.  Lucca  was  essentially  a  lyric 
actress  rather  than  a  singer  pure  and  simple, 
and  had  the  power  of  realizing  the  highest 
dramatic  conception  both  of  poet  and  com- 
poser ;  she  was  able  to  draw  inspiration 
from  the  abstract  idea,  and  she  has  been 
called  "  transcendentally  human." 

After  her  memorable  tour  in  the  United 
States,  in  1872,  Madame  Lucca  continued 
before  the  public  in  Europe  until  1884, 
since  which  time  she  has  lived  in  Vienna, 
and  devoted  herself  chiefly  to  teaching. 

While  Lucca  was  thus  rising  to  the  high- 
est pinnacles  of  fame,  Patti  also  was  scoring 
great  successes.  In  London  she  had  become 
a  permanent  favorite,  and  from  the  year 
1 86 1,  in  which  she  made  her  European 
d6but,  for  more  than  twenty  years  she  was 
engaged  every  season  at  Covent  Garden. 

In  spite  of  all  rivalry,  she  held  her  posi- 
tion there  as  the  most  popular  opera  singer 


128  Famous  Singers. 

of  modern  times.  She  has  enjoyed  the  same 
popularity  on  the  continent,  and  in  America 
also  she  has  been  immensely  popular. 

Adelina  Patti's  voice  was  one  of  moderate 
power,  but  great  range  and  of  wonderful 
flexibility.  Her  production  was  faultless, 
and  she  was,  and  is,  undoubtedly,  one  of 
the  greatest  mistresses  of  vocalization  of  the 
century.  As  an  actress,  she  could  not  com- 
pare with  many  other  singers,  and  her 
greatest  successes  were  gained  in  such 
operas  as  made  the  least  demand  upon  the 
histrionic  capabilities  of  the  performer. 
Her  repertoire  included  about  thirty  operas, 
mostly  of  the  Italian  school,  though  she  also 
sang  in  the  operas  of  Meyerbeer  and  Gou- 
nod, and  others.  She  was  one  of  the  many 
"  Carmens  ;  "  but  while  her  interpretation 
vocally  was  excellent,  she  was  by  no  means 
equal  dramatically  to  Mile.  Hauk,  and  much 
less  so  to  Calv6,  the  latest  and  by  far  the 
greatest  interpreter  of  that  role. 


z7xx/^. 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Fifties.         1 29 

One  of  the  most  notable  events  of 
Madame  Patti's  career  occurred  when,  in 
1868,  at  the  funeral  of  Rossini,  the  com- 
poser, she  sang  with  Madame  Alboni  the 
'  '^autiful  duet,  "  Quis  est  Homo,"  from  Ros- 
sini's "  Stabat  Mater."  On  that  occasion 
such  an  assembly  of  noted  musicians  and 
singers  was  gathered  together  to  honor  the 
great  composer  as  probably  never  before 
met  under  the  same  roof.  To  hear  that 
beautiful  music,  rendered  by  two  such  artists 
over  the  grave  of  the  composer,  was  to  feel 
in  the  truest  sense  the  genius  of  Rossini, 
and  the  part  that  he  played  in  the  music  of 
the  nineteenth  century. 

The  name  of  Patti  has  always  been  asso- 
ciated with  high  prices,  and  not  without 
cause ;  for,  although  other  singers  have  re- 
ceived larger  sums  for  isolated  engagements, 
none  have  ever  succeeded  in  maintaining 
such  a  uniformly  high  rate. 

When  she  returned  to  America  in  188 1, 


130  Famous  Singers. 

after  an  absence  of  some  twenty  years, 
Patti  held  mistaken  notions  about  the 
American  people,  and  her  early  concerts  were 
a  bitter  disappointment.  High  prices  and 
hackneyed  songs  did  not  suit  the  public, 
and  in  order  to  make  a  success  of  the  tour 
Madame  Patti  was  obliged  to  throw  over  her 
French  manager,  and  employ  an  American 
(Henry  E.  Abbey)  who  knew  the  public, 
and  who  immediately  cut  the  prices  down  to 
one-half.  Eventually  the  season  was  suc- 
cessful, both  artistically  and  financially,  her 
voice  showing  but  little  sign  of  wear,  and 
her  execution  being  as  brilliant  as  ever.  At 
Brooklyn  the  people  took  the  horses  out  of 
her  carriage,  and  dragged  her  home,  —  one 
facetious  writer  remarking  that  he  saw  no 
reason  for  taking  away  her  horses,  and  sub- 
stituting asses.  The  following  clever  rhyme, 
at  the  expense  of  her  manager,  taken  from 
**  Puck,"  voices  the  opinion  of  the  public  very 
neatly,  in  regard  to  Patti's  tour,  in  188 1-2: 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Fifties.         131 

Patti  cake,  Patti  cake,  Franchi  man  ! 
"  So  I  do,  messieurs,  comme  vite  as  I  can." 
"  Roulez  et  tournez  et  marquez  '  with  care,' 
Et  posez  au  publique  k  ten  dollars  a  chair." 

Farinelli  is  said  to  have  made  ^30,000 
per  annum,  a  very  large  sum  for  the  times 
in  which  he  lived.  Catalani's  profits  ran 
almost  to  ;^  1 00,000  a  season.  Malibran  re- 
ceived $95,000  for  eighty-five  performances 
at  La  Scala.  Jenny  Lind,  for  ninety-five 
concerts,  under  Barnum's  management,  re- 
ceived $208,675,  all  good  figures.  But 
Rubini  is  said  to  have  made  ^11,500  at  one 
concert,  and  Tamagno  is  the  highest-priced 
tenor  of  the  present  day. 

Patti  at  one  time  made  a  contract  for  a 
series  of  performances  at  ^84,400  a  night, 
and  later  on  her  fee  was  ;^ 5,000  a  night, 
paid  in  advance,  but  when  she  came  to  Boston 
in  1882,  and  sang  in  three  performances  given 
in  a  week,  her  share  of  the  receipts  was 
^20,895.     The  attendance  at  the  Saturday 


132  Famous  Singers. 

matin6e  was  9,142  people,  and  her  share  of 
the  receipts  for  that  performance  alone  was 
^8,395. 

Madame  Patti  always  had  the  advantage 
of  excellent  management.  Until  her  mar- 
riage with  the  Marquis  de  Caux  she  was  under 
the  management  of  her  brother-in-law,  Mau- 
rice Strakosch,  and  so  assiduous  was  he  in 
his  protection  of  his  young  star  from  unnec- 
essary wear  and  tear  that  he  became  the 
subject  of  many  jokes.  It  is  said  that  he 
occasionally  took  her  place  at  rehearsals, 
that  when  visitors  called  on  her  they  saw 
him  instead,  and  some  people,  with  vivid 
imagination,  declared  that  Strakosch  sat  for 
Patti's  photograph,  and  that  he  once  offered 
to  receive  a  declaration  of  love  for  her. 

One  is  apt  to  doubt  the  necessity  of  all 
this  management,  for  Patti  seems  to  have 
been  admirably  adapted  for  self-defence,  and 
even  for  aggression  in  financial  matters. 
An  amusing  anecdote  is  told  of  her  by  Max 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Fifties.         133 

Maretzek,  who,  one  day,  when  she  was  a 
small  child,  in  a  moment  of  generosity  prom- 
ised her  a  doll,  or,  as  some  accounts  have  it, 
some  bon-bons  as  a  reward  for  singing  in  a 
concert.  It  was  to  be  her  very  first  appear- 
ance. Patti  did  not  forget  the  promise,  and 
when  it  was  nearly  time  for  her  to  sing  she 
asked  for  her  doll.  Maretzek  had  forgotten 
it,  and  promised  that  she  should  have  it  after 
the  concert,  or  the  next  day.  But  no,  she 
must  have  it  first,  or  she  would  not  go  on 
and  sing.  The  poor  man  was  in  despair.  It 
was  late  and  stores  were  all  closed,  but  by 
some  means  he  succeeded  in  getting  the 
bribe,  whether  dolls  or  bon-bons,  and,  rushing 
back  in  breathless  haste,  he  handed  it  to 
her.  Then  she  became  cheerful  at  once, 
and  giving  it  to  her  mother  to  be  taken 
care  of,  she  went  on  and  performed  her  part 
in  the  concert. 

One  of  the  most  amusing  of  these  anec- 
dotes was   told   by  Colonel  Mapleson,  the 


134  Famous  Singers. 

well-known  impresario,  who  says  that  no 
one  ever  approached  Madame  Patti  in  the 
art  of  obtaining  from  a  manager  the  great- 
est possible  sum  that  he  could  contrive  by 
any  possibility  to  pay.  In  1882,  owing  to 
the  competition  of  Henry  Abbey,  the  Ameri- 
can impresario,  Mapleson  was  obliged  to 
raise  Patti's  salary  from  ;^  1,000  per  night 
to  ^4,000,  and,  finally,  to  ^5,000  per  night, 
a  sura  previously  unheard-of  in  the  annals 
of  opera.  The  price,  moreover,  was  to  be 
paid  at  two  o'clock  of  the  day  on  which 
Patti  was  to  sing. 

On  the  second  night  of  the  engagement 
at  Boston,  Madame  Patti  was  billed  to  sing 
in  "Traviata,"  Expenses  had  been  heavy 
and  the  funds  were  low,  so  that  when  Signor 
Franchi,  Patti's  agent,  called  at  the  theatre 
promptly  at  two  o'clock,  only  ^4,000  could 
be  scraped  together.  Signor  Franchi  was 
indignant,  and  declared  that  the  contract 
was  broken,  and  that  Madame  Patti  would 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Fifties.         135 

not  sing.  He  refused  to  take  the  1^4,000, 
and  went  off  to  report  the  matter  to  the 
prima  donna.  At  four  o'clock,  Signor 
Franchi  returned  to  the  theatre,  and  con- 
gratulated Colonel  Mapleson  on  his  facility 
for  managing  Madame  Patti,  saying  that  she 
would  do  for  the  colonel  that  which  she 
would  do  for  no  other  impresario.  In 
short,  Patti  would  take  the  $4,000  and 
dress  for  her  part,  all  except  her  shoes. 
She  would  arrive  at  the  theatre  at  the  reg- 
ular time,  and  when  the  remaining  paltry 
$1,000  was  forthcoming  she  would  put  on 
her  shoes  and  be  ready  to  go  on  the 
stage. 

Everything  happened  as  Patti  had  prom- 
ised. She  arrived  at  the  theatre  costumed 
as  Violetta,  but  minus  her  shoes.  Franchi 
called  at  the  box-office,  but  only  $800  was 
on  hand.  The  genial  Signor  took  the  money 
and  returned  to  Patti's  room.  He  soon  ap- 
peared again  to  say  that  Madame  Patti  was 


12$  Famous  Singers. 

all  ready  except  one  shoe,  which  she  could 
not  put  on  until  the  remaining  $200  was 
paid.  It  was  already  time  for  the  perform- 
ance to  begin,  but  people  were  still  coming  in, 
and  after  some  slight  delay  Signor  Franchi 
was  able  to  go  in  triumph  to  Madame 
Patti  with  the  balance  of  the  amount. 
Patti  put  on  her  other  shoe  and  proceeded 
to  the  stage.  She  made  her  entrance  at  the 
proper  time,  her  face  radiant  with  smiles, 
and  no  one  in  the  audience  had  any  idea 
of  the  stirring  events  which  had  just  taken 
place. 

In  later  years,  when  Madame  Patti  in- 
vested some  of  her  fortune  in  the  beautiful 
castle  at  Craig-y-Nos,  in  Wales,  the  people 
employed  to  put  the  place  into  repair,  know- 
ing of  her  reputed  wealth  and  extravagance, 
sent  in  enormous  bills.  But  Madame  Patti 
was  not  to  be  imposed  upon,  and  the  result 
was  that  the  amounts  melted  down  consider- 
ably under  the  gentle  influence  of  the  law. 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Fifties.         137 

The  unkindest  cut  of  all  was,  however,  when 
a  Belgian  gentleman,  who  had  amused  him- 
self at  Craig-y-Nos,  who  had  fished,  shot,  and 
been  entertained,  but  who  always  managed 
to  be  present  during  discussions  on  business, 
sent  in  a  bill  of  ^£3,000  for  his  services  as 
agent. 

Under  the  management  of  Colonel  Maple- 
son,  Patti  travelled  in  most  luxurious  style. 
She  had  a  special  car  which  is  said  to  have 
cost  1^65,000,  and  a  whole  retinue  of  ser- 
vants. At  Cheyenne,  the  legislature  and 
assembly  adjourned  and  chartered  a  special 
car  to  meet  the  operatic  train.  A  military 
band  was  at  the  station,  and  nearly  the 
whole  population  turned  out  to  witness 
the  arrival.  Tickets  to  the  opera  were  ten 
dollars  each,  and  there  was  an  audience  of 
3,000  people. 

California  seems  to  have  been  considered 
doubtful  territory,  for  Patti  left  the  question 
undecided  as  to  whether  she  would  go  so  far. 


138  Famous  Singers. 

When  she  did  arrive  it  was  merely  as  a  vis- 
itor, but  her  delight  with  the  "heavenly 
place"  was  so  great  that  she  declared  she 
must  sing  there.  The  necessary  delay  in- 
curred by  sending  to  Chicago  for  numerous 
trunks  containing  her  wardrobe,  gave  suffi- 
cient time  for  the  excitement  in  San  Fran- 
cisco to  work  up  to  fever  heat.  Tickets  sold 
at  unheard-of  prices,  and  more  or  less  damage 
to  property  was  done  in  the  scramble. 

Adelina  Patti  made  her  first  matrimonial 
venture  in  1868,  when  she  was  united  to  the 
Marquis  de  Caux,  an  event  which  did  not 
interfere  with  her  operatic  career,  for  she 
filled  an  engagement  of  six  weeks  at  Paris, 
and  then  went  on  to  St.  Petersburg,  where 
the  town  opened  a  subscription  which 
amounted  to  ioo,ocx)  rubles,  and  presented 
her  with  a  diamond  necklace. 

In  1885  Madame  Patti  obtained  a  divorce 
from  the  Marquis  de  Caux,  from  whom  she 
had  separated   in    1877,  and  the  following 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Fifties.         1 39 

year  married  Ernest  Nicolini,  the  tenor 
singer.  Nicolini  was  a  man  of  fine  stage 
presence,  and,  for  a  time,  after  the  retire- 
ment of  Mario,  was  considered  the  best 
tenor  on  the  stage.  His  voice  was  of  mod- 
erate power  and  of  pleasing  quality,  but  his 
tremolo  was,  to  say  the  least,  extensive. 
For  some  years  Madame  Patti  declined 
every  engagement  in  which  Nicolini  was  not 
included,  until  the  public  indignation  found 
vent  in  many  protests.  Signor  Nicolini 
seems  to  have  been  a  devoted  and  admiring 
husband,  and  to  have  entered  heartily 
into  the  pleasures  of  the  luxurious  life  of 
Craig-y-Nos.     He  died  in  January,   1898. 

After  sortie  years  of  retirement  from  the 
operatic  stage,  during  which  she  sang  only 
in  concerts,  Patti  made  a  reappearance  at 
Co  vent  Garden  in  1895,  and  showed  that 
her  voice,  notwithstanding  nearly  forty  years 
of  use,  was  wonderfully  well  preserved.  Nev- 
ertheless it  was  a  disappointment  to  those 


140  Famous  Singers. 

who  had  heard  her  in  her  prime.  As  a 
reason  for  its  preservation  she  says  that  she 
never  sings  when  she  is  tired,  and  never 
strains  for  high  notes.  Sir  Morell  Macken- 
zie, the  great  throat  specialist,  said  that  she 
had  the  most  wonderful  throat  he  ever  saw. 
It  was  the  only  one  in  which  the  vocal 
cords  were  in  absolutely  perfect  condition 
after  many  years  of  use.  They  were  not 
strained,  warped,  or  roughened  in  the  slight- 
est degree,  but  absolutely  perfect,  and  there 
was  no  reason  why  they  should  not  remain 
so  for  ten  or  even  twenty  years  longer.  It 
was  by  her  voice  alone  that  she  charmed  and 
delighted  her  audiences,  and  she  will  doubt- 
less be  recorded  as  the  possessor  of  the  most 
perfect  voice  of  the  nineteenth  century.  She 
witnessed  the  rise  of  many  rivals,  but  none 
ever  equalled  her  in  popularity,  though  many 
excelled  her  in  dramatic  powers.  Lucca, 
Sembrich,  Nilsson,  were  all  greater  as  ac- 
tresses, but  of  all  the  rivals  of  her  prime 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Fifties.         141 

only  Sembrich  and  Albani  remain,  and  sev- 
eral years  must  elapse  before  their  careers 
will  equal  the  length  of  Patti's. 

Probably  no  other  singer  has  succeeded 
in  amassing  so  great  a  fortune  as  Madame 
Patti.  Her  earnings  enabled  her  to  pur- 
chase, in  1878,  the  beautiful  estate  in 
Wales,  which  she  remodelled  to  suit  her  own 
ideas.  Here  she  has  lived  in  regal  style  and 
entertained  lavishly  many  of  the  most  noted 
people  of  the  civilized  world. 

Her  wealth  is  by  no  means  confined  to 
real  estate,  for  she  has  a  rare  collection  of 
jewels,  said  to  be  the  largest  and  most  bril- 
liant owned  by  any  of  the  modern  actresses 
and  opera  singers.  One  of  her  gowns,  worn 
in  the  third  act  of  "  La  Traviata,"  was  cov- 
ered with  precious  stones  to  the  value  of 
;^  5  00,000. 

Madame  Patti's  most  popular  rdles  were 
Juliet  and  Aida,  and  though  she  created  no 
new  parts  of  importance,  she  has  amply  ful» 


142  Famous  Singers. 

filled  the  traditional  role  of  prima  donna  in 
matters  of  caprice  and  exaction,  and  has 
even  created  some  new  precedents.  In  1898 
she  was  still  before  the  public,  singing  in 
concerts  in  London  and  elsewhere. 


CHAPTER  V. 

PRIMA    DONNAS    OF    THE    SIXTIES. 

At  the  middle  of  the  century  critics  began 
to  cry  out  about  the  decadence  of  the  vocal 
art,  much  as  they  have  done  at  intervals 
during  the  past  two  centuries,  and  with 
as  little  real  cause.  The  great  singers  of 
recent  years  had  departed,  and  apparently 
none  had  arisen  to  take  their  place,  and  yet 
the  latter  half  of  the  century  has  been 
adorned  by  stars  who,  as  far  as  we  are  able 
to  judge,  are  not  inferior  to  those  who  have 
gone  before.  It  is  probable  that  other  stars 
also  will  arise  who  will  delight  as  large  audi- 
ences and  create  as  great  excitement  as 
Grisi,  Lind,  and  Malibran. 

While  it  is  undoubtedly  true  that  declama- 
143 


144  Famous  Singers. 

tion  holds  a  more  important  place  in  mod- 
ern opera  than  it  did  in  the  operas  of  bygone 
days,  and  some  declare  that  the  art  of  vocal- 
ization is  extinct,  yet  singers  who  can  charm 
by  pure  vocalization  are  still  as  welcome  as 
ever,  though  more  is  expected  of  them  in  the 
dramatic  branch  of  their  art. 

It  is  doubtful  whether  a  greater  trio  of 
singers  has  been  before  the  public  at  any 
time  than  Patti,  Lucca,  and  Nilsson,  and 
yet  they  appeared  at  a  time  when  it  was 
claimed  that  vocal  art  was  dead. 

During  the  first  half  of  the  century  we 
have  seen  that  some  of  the  great  singers 
visited  the  United  States.  Garcia  brought 
his  daughter  to  America,  where  she  created 
a  great  sensation  and  found  her  first  hus- 
band. Sontag  crossed  the  ocean,  Grisi,  Al- 
boni,  and  Jenny  Lind  had  found  appreciative 
audiences  in  America.  Among  the  men, 
Incledon  was  the  first  singer  of  importance 
to  cross  the  water. 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Sixties.         145 

We  now  arrive  at  a  period  when  not  only- 
many  great  singers,  and  some  of  less  repute, 
crossed  the  wild  Atlantic  for  American  dol- 
lars, but  America  began  to  supply  singers 
to  the  European  market.  When  Colonel 
Mapleson  was  interviewed  in  San  Francisco 
during  Patti's  tour,  he  declared  that  there 
were  more  than  2,000  American  vocal 
students  in  Europe,  and  he  mentioned  fif- 
teen who  had  appeared  under  his  manage- 
ment up  to  1883.  This  number  included 
Patti,  who  could  hardly  be  claimed  as  Amer- 
ican, for  she  was  born  in  Madrid,  of  Italian 
parents.  But  between  i860  and  1870,  Clara 
Louise  Kellogg,  Minnie  Hauk,  and  Annie 
Louise  Cary  were  genuine  Americans,  as 
was  also  Adelaide  Phillips,  who  made  her 
debut  in  1854.  In  later  years  the  number 
increased  till,  at  the  present  day,  at  least 
two  of  the  greatest  artists  among  the 
prima  donnas  are  of  American  origin,  while 
a  large  number  have  reached  a  high  posi- 


146  Famous  Singers. 

tion  and  may  be  destined  for  the  greatest 
honors. 

The  star  of  the  year  i860  was  born  in 
Vienna,  made  her  debut  there,  and  remained 
there  for  some  years.  Marie  Gabrielle 
Krauss  was  one  of  those  singers,  who,  with  a 
voice  far  from  perfect,  was  able  by  her  style, 
her  phrasing,  and  her  musical  delivery,  to 
which  must  be  added  the  incontestable 
power  of  dramatic  accent,  to  be  classed 
among  the  greatest  singers  of  her  time.  In 
1867  she  was  engaged  in  Paris  and  sung 
there  for  many  years,  except  during  the 
Franco-Prussian  war. 

In  1 86 1,  Carlotta  Patti  made  her  d^but, 
but  she  was  obliged  to  abandon  the  operatic 
stage  on  account  of  lameness.  She  was  an 
elder  sister  of  Adelina  Patti,  and  for  many 
years  was  very  popular  on  the  concert  stage, 
sharing  with  her  sister  wonderful  facility  of 
execution  and  beautiful  quality  of  voice. 
Probably  no  singer  of  her  time  travelled  so 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Sixties.         147 

extensively  as  Carlotta  Patti,  who  is  said  to 
have  visited  every  part  of  the  world  in  which 
a  concert  could  be  successfully  given.  In 
1879  she  married  Mr.  Ernst  de  Munck,  of 
Weimar,  a  violoncellist,  but  ten  years  later 
she  died. 

Clara  Louise  Kellogg  was  one  of  the  early 
American  singers,  who,  though  her  great 
musical  gifts  enabled  her  to  win  triumphs  in 
opera  in  the  great  musical  centres  of  the 
world,  devoted  the  prime  of  her  life  to  giving 
English  opera  in  her  native  land. 

Miss  Kellogg  was  born  in  Sumterville, 
S.  C,  in  1842,  but  in  1856  she  went,  with 
her  mother,  who  had  considerable  musical 
ability,  to  New  York,  in  order  to  continue 
the  musical  education  which  her  mother  had 
begun.  In  1861,  before  she  had  completed 
her  nineteenth  year,  she  made  her  ddbut  at 
the  Academy  of  Music,  in  "  Rigoletto "  as 
Gilda,  and  sang  during  the  season  about  a 
dozen  times. 


148  Famous  Singers. 

In  1867  she  appeared  at  Her  Majesty's 
Theatre  in  London  as  Margherita,  and  was 
reengaged  for  the  following  year.  She  then 
returned  to  the  United  States  and  made  a 
concert  tour  which  lasted  for  four  years.  In 
1872  she  was  back  again  in  London  at  Her 
Majesty's. 

In  1874  she  organized  an  English  Opera 
company  in  America,  translating  the  words, 
training  the  chorus,  and  doing  most  of  the 
hard  work  of  the  enterprise  herself.  Such 
was  her  ardor  and  enthusiasm  that  she  sang 
in  the  winter  of  1874-5  ^o  ^^ss  than  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  times.  From  that  time 
until  1882,  she  was  constantly  before  the 
public  in  opera  or  concert,  and  in  addition  to 
her  musical  talents  she  was  remarkable  for 
business  ability.  Her  voice  was  of  large 
compass  and  great  purity,  and  when  she 
retired  she  left  a  memory  of  a  good,  exem- 
plary life,  full  of  benevolent  actions. 

It  is  said  that  in  her  youth  she  was  en- 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Sixties.         149 

gaged  to  be  married  to  a  schoolmate,  but  the 
marriage  was  necessarily  to  wait  until  they 
had  sufficient  means.  She  went  on  the 
stage,  was  successful,  and  wrote  to  him  say- 
ing that  she  had  sufficient  money  and  was 
ready.  He,  however,  felt  it  incumbent  upon 
him  to  provide  at  least  a  capital  equal  to 
hers,  and  desired  a  further  postponement. 
This  annoyed  her,  and  her  enthusiasm  cooled 
off.  Money-making  was  a  slow  process  with 
him,  and  before  he  had  satisfied  his  con- 
science she  had  announced  her  engagement 
to  another  man.  Miss  Kellogg  retired  in 
1882,  and  married  Mr.  Strakosch,  a  son  of 
the  celebrated  impresario. 

During  Miss  Kellogg's  travels  in  the 
United  States  she  visited  With  her  company 
a  great  many  towns  which  have  since  become 
music-loving  cities,  and  she  met  with  many 
highly  amusing  experiences,  besides  some 
which  were  less  amusing  than  instructive. 
She   has   exerted  an   educational    influence 


150  Famous  Singers. 

throughout  the  country  which  it  would  be 
difficult  to  over-estimate ;  indeed,  it  can  be 
claimed  that  the  ambition  of  many  young 
Americans  to  study  music  owes  its  origin  to 
the  efforts  of  those  who,  like  Miss  Kellogg, 
visited  the  smaller  towns,  and  made  it  pos- 
sible for  a  large  number  of  people  to  enjoy 
music  of  a  high  order. 

The  year  1 862  produced  a  singer  of  great 
ability,  lima  di  Murska,  a  native  of  Croatia, 
one  of  the  most  brilliant  sopranos,  and  one 
of  the  most  eccentric  women  of  her  time. 
There  seems  to  be  considerable  uncertainty 
about  her  early  life,  both  as  to  birth  and 
marriage.  By  some  authorities  it  is  stated 
that  she  was  born  in  1843,  the  year  in  which 
Patti,  Nilsson,  and  (some  say)  Lucca  were 
bom.  On  the  other  hand,  the  date  of  her 
birth  is  placed  both  in  1836  and  1837,  and 
there  are  many  reasons  for  supposing  that 
one  of  these  earlier  dates  is  the  right 
one. 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Sixties.         151 

Concerning  her  first  marriage,  one  author- 
ity states  that  her  first  husband  was  Count 
Nugent,  a  descendant  of  a  renowned  Irish 
officer  of  that  name,  by  whom  she  had  a  son 
and  a  daughter,  and  that  the  son  committed 
suicide  in  1876,  Another  account  is  that  in 
early  life  she  married  General  Eider,  from 
whom  she  separated  on  account  of  her  eccen- 
tricities, which  made  it  impossible  for  him  to 
live  happily  with  her.  This  account  speaks 
of  her  daughter,  and  it  is  tolerably  well  es- 
tablished that  she  did  have  a  daughter,  for 
that  young  lady  played  an  important  and 
not  particularly  creditable  part  in  the  history 
of  the  talented  singer.  It  is  not  impossible 
that  she  may  have  married  both  Count 
Nugent  and  General  Eider,  for  she  certainly 
married  frequently,  and  in  that  respect  holds 
a  unique  place,  even  in  the  list  of  much- 
married  prima  donnas. 

Madame  di  Murska  was  tall  and  slender  in 
figure,  of  striking  appearance,  and  with  fea- 


152  Famous  Singers. 

tures  not  specially  attractive,  but  her  vigor 
and  originality  were  remarkable.  Her  im- 
personations were  full  of  life,  and,  while  she 
occasionally  exaggerated  in  gesture  or  ex- 
pression, she  invariably  held  the  attention 
of  her  audience.  She  sang  the  most  diffi- 
cult passages,  and  gave  the  most  florid 
ornamentation,  with  ease  and  certainty. 

As  Lucia,  Astrofiammente,  and  Dinorah, 
she  made  a  great  sensation,  even  at  a  time 
when  Adelina  Patti  was  considered  to  be 
perfection  in  those  parts.  The  writer  re- 
members her  in  "  Roberto  "  at  Drury  Lane, 
when  her  impassioned  acting  resulted  in  a 
very  funny  incident.  While  she  sang  the 
beautiful  aria,  "Robert,  toi  que  j'aime," 
the  object  of  her  adoration  reposed  in  obliv- 
ion on  a  red  plush  sofa.  In  her  abandon 
she  let  her  face  rest  for  a  moment  on  the 
head  of  the  sofa,  where,  when  she  arose, 
there  remained  a  large,  white  patch,  which 
aroused  the  audience  to  laughter,  in  spite 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Sixties.         153 

of   themselves.      Truly,   the  step   from  the 
sublime  to  the  ridiculous  is  very  small. 

lima  di  Murska  made  her  debut  at  Flor- 
ence, after  which  she  sang  at  Pesth,  Vienna, 
Berlin,  Hamburg,  and  London.  Her  mem- 
ory is  said  to  have  been  remarkable,  and  her 
facility  in  learning  equally  so,  for  she  could 
learn  her  part  by  merely  reading  it,  some- 
times in  bed,  from  the  score.  In  1873  she 
made  a  tour  in  the  United  States,  an  ac- 
count of  which  was  once  given  by  Mr.  de 
Vivo, '  who  was  her  manager.  During  this 
tour  her  eccentricities  caused  her  manager 
much  anxiety,  for  at  times  when  he  needed 
money,  and,  having  paid  large  sums  to  her, 
felt  confident  that  she  was  able  to  furnish 
funds,  she  had  always  sent  her  earnings  to 
her  daughter,  who  seems  to  have  kept  her  in 
a  chronic  state  of  poverty.      The  company 

*  Mr.  Diego  de  Vivo  died  in  New  York,  on  August  11, 
1898,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six.  He  was  instrumental  in 
introducing  to  the  American  public  many  artists  who 
have  become  well-known. 


154  Famous  Singers. 

travelled  across  this  continent,  and  went  to 
Australia  and  New  Zealand.  During  the 
Australian  tour  Madame  di  Murska  became 
very  much  interested  in  Alfred  Anderson, 
a  young  musician  belonging  to  the  company. 
He  fell  into  bad  health,  and,  when  confined 
to  his  room  by  sickness,  the  eccentric  singer 
insisted  upon  nursing  him.  Soon  afterwards 
they  were  quietly  married.  They  were  then 
in  Sidney,  and  the  marriage  took  place  in 
December,  1875.  Mr.  Anderson  continued 
so  ill  that  he  was  obliged  to  return  to  Mel- 
bourne, his  native  city,  where  he  went  to 
his  father's  house.  It  seems  that  the  family 
were  opposed  to  the  marriage,  for  Madame 
di  Murska  was  refused  admission,  and  was 
obliged  to  stay  at  a  hotel.  There  seem  also 
to  have  been  some  peculiar  financial  transac- 
tions, for,  according  to  accounts,  when  Mr. 
Anderson  died,  which  was  some  three  or 
four  months  after  the  marriage,  Madame  di 
Murska  lost  a  large  sum  of  money.     This 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Sixties.         155 

experience,  however,  did  not  by  any  means 
crush  her,  for  in  May,  1876,  five  months 
after  her  marriage  to  Anderson,  she  fear- 
lessly embarked  on  another  matrimonial  ven- 
ture, this  time  taking  as  her  partner  for  life 
Mr.  John  T.  Hill.  This  union  does  not  seem 
to  have  been  permanent,  for  nothing  more  is 
heard  of  Mr.  Hill  in  connection  with  Madame 
di  Murska. 

In  Australia,  di  Murska  never  attained  the 
same  popularity  that  attended  her  efforts  in 
Europe,  her  peculiarities  were  so  marked. 
She  is  said  to  have  always  refused  to  be 
interviewed,  or  to  see  any  one  at  her  hotel, 
and  she  used  to  spend  her  time  in  training  a 
lot  of  parrots,  magpies,  cockatoos,  monkeys, 
and  other  creatures,  to  sing.  She  had  a 
wagon-load  of  pets,  which  were  taken  from 
town  to  town,  wherever  she  sang,  and  were 
an  unmitigated  nuisance.  She  also  had  a  big 
Newfoundland  dog,  named  Pluto,  for  whom  a 
cover  was  always  laid  at  the  dinner  table. 


156  Famous  Singers. 

Pluto  dined  on  capon  and  other  dainties, 
and  was  a  model  in  regard  to  table  man- 
ners. Her  parrots  cost  her  a  great  deal 
of  money,  for  they  had  a  decided  antipathy 
to  silk  or  damask  upholstery,  particularly  to 
flowered  patterns,  but  Madame  di  Murska 
always  seemed  pleased  when  the  bills  for 
the  depredations  of  her  pets  were  presented 
to  her. 

Once  while  the  company  was  at  Glasgow, 
one  of  the  members  fed  a  parrot  with  parsley 
till  it  died.  Di  Murska  called  in  two  learned 
Scotch  professors  to  hold  a  post-mortem 
examination,  and  they  decided  that  the  bird 
had  died  of  wall-paper,  and  charged  three 
guineas  for  their  opinion. 

Some  few  years  later  Madame  di  Murska 
was  induced  to  return  to  the  United  States, 
where  a  position  was  secured  for  her  in  New 
York  as  a  vocal  teacher,  but  although  pos- 
sessed of  undoubted  talent,  she  completely 
failed   to  impart  it   to  her  pupils,  nor  was 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Sixties.         157 

she  any  longer  successful  in  concerts.  Her 
money,  which  had  been  sent  to  her  daughter 
as  fast  as  she  earned  it,  had  all  been  squan- 
dered, and  she  fell  into  the  direst  poverty. 
The  musicians  of  New  York  interested  them- 
selves in  her  behalf,  and  sufficient  money 
was  raised  to  send  her  home.  She  survived 
but  a  short  time,  and,  in  1889,  on  January  4, 
her  troubled  life  ended.  It  was  an  extremely 
sad  termination  to  a  brilliant  career,  and  its 
sadness  was  emphasized  by  the  fact  that  her 
daughter,  whose  happiness  had  seemed  her 
greatest  solicitude,  committed  suicide  over 
her  grave.  It  is  said  that  General  Eider, 
hearing  of  the  tragic  event,  caused  a  stone 
to  be  erected  at  the  graves  of  his  eccentric 
wife  and  daughter. 

One  of  the  most  important  and  brilliant 
rivals  of  Adelina  Patti  was  Christine  Nilsson, 
a  Swede. 

Miss  Nilsson  was  the  only  daughter  of  a 
poor  farmer  at  Sjoabal,  near  Wexio.     She 


158  Famous  Singers. 

was  born  in  1843,  the  same  year  in  which 
Patti  was  born,  and  was  seven  years  younger 
than  her  youngest  brother,  who  was  the 
third  son  of  his  parents,  and  who,  being  of 
a  musical  nature,  had  studied  the  violin  in 
the  best  way  that  he  could  without  a  teacher. 
He  turned  his  talent  to  account  by  playing 
at  balls  in  the  neighboring  villages. 

When  Christine  was  nine  years  old  she 
was  wont  to  sing  the  native  melodies  of 
her  country,  and  she,  too,  learned  to  play 
her  brother's  violin  in  order  to  accompany  her 
voice. 

When  she  reached  her  twelfth  year,  her 
mother  used  to  take  her  to  the  neighboring 
fairs,  where,  her  golden  hair  tied  simply 
under  a  handkerchief,  she  played  and  sang 
to  admiring  rustics,  who  would  contribute 
their  small  donations  to  her  brother,  who 
passed  his  hat  around. 

At  the  age  of  thirteen  came  a  turning- 
point  in  her  career.     She  was  at  a  fair  in 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Sixties.        159 

Llungby,  when  a  ventriloquist,  who  had  set 
up  his  booth  near  where  she  was  singing, 
finding  that  all  the  trade  passed  him  and 
went  to  her,  came  over  and  made  a  bargain, 
offering  her  twenty  francs  to  sing  at  his 
booth  during  the  remaining  eight  days  of 
the  fair.  While  singing  for  her  new  em- 
ployer, she  attracted  the  attention  of  Judge 
Toernerheljm,  who  was  touched  by  her 
beauty,  her  grace,  and  the  delightful  tones 
of  her  voice.  He  resolved  to  rescue  her 
from  the  career  of  a  vagrant  musician,  and 
asking  about  her  father  and  mother,  said 
that  he  would  take  her  and  place  her  with 
a  lady  who  would  be  kind  to  her.  The  sim- 
ple little  maid  replied  that  she  could  not 
break  her  contract  with  the  ventriloquist, 
but  the  judge  agreed  to  satisfy  him.  So 
she  sent  her  brother  home  to  tell  the  story 
and  ask  advice.  He  returned  with  a  mes- 
sage from  her  parents  saying  that  she  was 
to  go,  but  not  to  come  home  first,  as  they 


l6o  Famous  Singers. 

could  not  bear  to  part  with  her  if  she 
did. 

Accordingly  Christine  went  with  Judge 
Toernerheljm,  who  placed  her  with  the  Bar- 
oness Leuhusen,  formerly  a  vocal  teacher, 
from  whom  the  young  singer  received  her 
first  lessons,  and,  at  the  same  time,  attended 
school  in  Halmstadt.  In  due  time  she  went 
to  Stockholm,  where  she  took  lessons  under 
Franz  Berwald,  and  in  six  months'  time  she 
sang  at  Court. 

The  young  singer  now  went  to  Paris 
accompanied  by  Baroness  Leuhusen,  and 
began  a  course  of  lessons  under  Wartel. 
She  so  profited  by  his  instruction,  that  she 
made  her  d^but  at  the  Th6dtre  Lyrique  on 
October  27,  1864,  as  Violetta  in  "La  Tra- 
viata,"  and  afterwards  appeared  as  Lady 
Henrietta,  Astrofiammante,  Elvira  ("Don 
Giovanni "),  etc.  She  remained  at  the  Thddtre 
Lyrique  nearly  three  years,  after  which  she 
went  to  England  and  sang  at  Her  Majesty's, 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Sixties.         i6l 

making  her  first  appearance  as  Violetta,  on 
June  8,  1867.  Notwithstanding  that  Patti 
had  the  world  at  her  feet,  the  success  of 
Nilsson  was  extremely  brilliant,  her  imper- 
sonation of  Marguerite  in  "  Faust "  calling 
forth  unstinted  praise,  and  it  is  the  opinion 
of  many  that  in  that  part  she  has  never 
been  excelled.  Her  representation  of  Mar- 
guerite was  that  of  a  quiet,  simple  girl,  full 
of  maidenly  reserve  during  the  first  three 
acts,  a  deep-natured  young  girl,  restrained 
from  the  full  expression  of  her  feelings  by 
every  instinct  of  her  better  nature,  and  every 
rule  of  her  daily  life.  This  very  forbearance 
of  style  made  her  final  surrender  a  thousand 
times  more  impressive  than  is  usual.  It  was 
accomplished  in  one  wild,  unlooked-for  rush 
of  sudden  emotion,  caused  by  the  unexpected 
return  of  her  lover.  The  picture  which  Nils- 
son  gave  of  this  tender,  gentle  girl,  in  the 
pensive,  anxious  joy  of  her  first  love,  and  in 
the  despair  and  misery  of  her  darkened  life, 


1 62  Famous  Singers. 

was  one  over  which  painters  and  poets  might 
well  go  wild  with  enthusiasm. 

Nilsson  had  a  voice  of  wonderful  sweet- 
ness   and   beauty,  and    possessed   the  most 
thorough    skill    in   vocalization.     She   could 
reach  with  ease   F  in    alt,  and    showed    to 
advantage  in  such  operas  as  "  Zauberflote." 
Her  singing  was   cold,  clever,  and  shrewd, 
and  she  calculated  her  effects  so  well,  that 
her  audience  was  impressed  by  the  semblance 
of  her  being  deeply  moved.     The  eulogies  of 
London  and  Paris  dwelt  more  upon  her  act- 
ing than  upon  her  singing,  more  upon  her 
infusion  of  her  own  individuality  into  Mar- 
guerite, Lucia,  and   Ophelia  than  upon  any 
merely  vocal    achievement.     She   was   con- 
sidered a  dramatic  artist  of  the  finest  intui- 
tions, the  most  magnetic  presence,  and  the 
rarest  expressive  powers.     There  was,  too, 
a  refinement,  a  completeness,  and  an  imagi- 
native quality  in  her  acting,  which  was  alto- 
gether unique. 


.yY^^UJ^?9^^y^  J^^^n^n^. 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Sixties.        163 

From  1870  to  the  spring  of  1872  Miss 
Nilsson  was  in  America,  where  she  met  with 
a  perfect  ovation.  In  1872  she  returned  to 
London,  and  in  July  was  married  by  Dean 
Stanley,  in  Westminster  Abbey,  to  M. 
Auguste  Rouzeaud,  of  Paris.  She  visited 
America  again  in  the  season  of  1873-4.  In 
1 88 1,  Nilsson  sang  in  opera  for  the  last  time, 
but  continued  to  sing  in  oratorio  and  con- 
certs until  1888,  since  which  time  she  has 
remained  in  the  seclusion  of  private  life. 

According  to  Maurice  Strakosch,  Miss 
Nilsson  once  visited  a  celebrated  palmist, 
Desbarolles,  who  examined  her  hand,  and 
told  her  that  she  would  encounter  many 
troubles,  of  which  most  would  be  caused 
by  madness  or  by  fire.  This  prophecy 
proved  to  be  true,  for  several  times  during 
her  American  tour  she  was  annoyed  by  in- 
sane lovers.  In  New  York,  she  was  obliged 
to  seek  the  protection  of  the  court  from  a 
man  who  pestered  her  with  attentions,  and 


164  Famous  Singers. 

again  in  Chicago  she  had  a  very  unpleas- 
ant experience,  both  of  which  affairs  caused 
some  sensation  at  the  time.  But  more  seri- 
ous than  these  incidents  was  the  loss  of  a 
great  part  of  her  savings  through  the  Boston 
fire,  and  this  was  followed  in  1882  by  the 
death  of  her  husband,  M.  Rouzeaud,  from 
insanity,  caused  by  mental  worry  over  busi- 
ness reverses. 

The  events  which  led  up  to  Nilsson's 
retirement  from  the  operatic  stage  are  told 
by  Colonel  Mapleson,  but  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  he  was  a  man  much  harassed  by 
the  peculiarities  of  prima  donnas,  and  his 
experiences  with  Madame  Nilsson  were  not 
the  least  of  his  trials. 

In  1868  Nilsson  was  so  successful  that 
she  revived  the  drooping  fortunes  of  Her 
Majesty's  Theatre,  which  had  recently  been 
burnt  down.  At  the  same  time  Patti  was 
singing  at  Covent  Garden.  Nilsson  felt 
that  her  achievements  were  equal  to  those 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Sixties.         165 

of  Patti,  and  justified  her  in  regarding  her- 
self as  Patti's  successful  rival.  Thus,  when- 
ever Patti  secured  a  large  sum  for  her 
services,  Nilsson  demanded  as  much.  When 
competition  became  keen  between  Mapleson 
and  Abbey,  the  American  impresario,  Ma- 
pleson made  overtures  to  Nilsson,  as  Abbey- 
was  outbidding  him  for  Patti,  but  the  Swed- 
ish singer  would  accept  no  engagement  at 
less  than  Patti's  figures.  Feeling  that  Patti 
was  the  strongest  drawing  card,  Mapleson 
gave  up  the  idea  of  playing  Nilsson  against 
her,  and  determined  to  outbid  Abbey  for 
Patti.  This  competition  resulted  in  the 
establishment  of  Patti's  price  of  ;^5,ooo  a 
performance,  and  Nilsson  was  left  without 
an  engagement. 

In  1884  she  made  a  concert  tour  in  the 
United  States,  when  Brignoli  sang  with  her. 
He  once  caused  some  merriment,  which 
went  the  round  of  the  papers,  when  he 
came  forward,  in  a  Missouri  town,  to  apolo- 


l66  Famous  Singers. 

gize  for  Nilsson's  slight  indisposition.  "Ma- 
dame Nilsson  ees  a  leetle  horse,"  he  said. 
Noticing  a  ripple  of  laughter  amongst  the 
audience,  he  repeated  the  statement  that 
Nilsson  "was  a  leetle  horse,"  when  a  face- 
tious occupant  of  the  gallery  brought  down 
the  house  by  remarking,  "Well,  then,  why 
don't  you  trot  her  out  ? "  Brignoli  was  a 
very  useful  tenor,  and  toured  the  country 
many  times  with  various  prima  donnas.  He 
was  as  full  of  oddities  as  of  music,  and  a  very 
amusing  story  is  told  of  him  in  connection 
with  an  Havana  engagement.  It  appears  that 
he  was  displeased  at  his  reception,  so  he 
decided  that  on  the  next  night  he  would 
punish  the  people  by  having  a  sore  throat. 
He  sent  notice  at  the  proper  time  to  the 
manager,  who,  according  to  the  laws  of  the 
country,  was  obliged  to  report  the  fact  to 
the  government.  A  doctor  was  sent  by 
the  authorities  to  ascertain  the  state  of  his 
health,  and  finding  no  sign  of  indisposition 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Sixties.         167 

looked  very  serious,  and  told  the  tenor  that 
it  was  a  case  of  yellow  fever.  This  so  fright- 
ened the  capricious  singer  that  he  declared 
himself  perfectly  able  to  sing,  and  he  took 
his  revenge  by  singing  so  finely  that  he  out- 
shone his  previous  reputation,  and  electrified 
his  audience. 

Nilsson's  first  care,  when  she  began  to 
accrue  wealth,  was  to  purchase  farms  for 
her  parents  and  her  brother.  When  she 
returned  to  Sweden  in  her  prime  she  met 
with  such  a  reception  as  had  not  been 
known  since  the  time  of  Jenny  Lind.  She 
entered  enthusiastically  into  the  life  of  her 
compatriots,  played  dances  for  them  on  the 
violin,  as  she  had  done  in  the  days  of  her  child- 
hood, and  sang  the  songs  of  her  country. 

In  1887  Madame  Nilsson  married  a  sec- 
ond time,  choosing  for  her  husband  Count 
Casa  di  Miranda,  and  after  her  farewell 
concerts,  given  in  1888,  retired  permanently. 

During  her  stage  career  Nilsson  gave  to 


1^  Famous  Singers. 

the  world  new  and  refined  interpretations 
of  many  well-known  rdles,  but  her  only 
creation  was  the  part  of  Edith  in  Balfe's 
"Talismano,"  though  when  Boito's  "M6- 
phistophele  "  was  first  produced  in  England, 
in  1880,  she  sang  the  part  of  Margaret 
She  also  gave  a  remarkable  dramatic  and 
poetical  interpretation  of  the  part  of  Elsa 
in  "  Lohengrin." 

Of  all  the  singers  of  German  opera,  by 
which  we  now  mean  Wagner,  none  has  at- 
tained so  great  a  reputation  as  Frau  Amalie 
Materna.  With  a  soprano  voice  of  unusual 
volume,  compass,  and  sustaining  power,  a 
fine  stage  presence,  and  great  musical  and 
dramatic  intelligence  Frau  Materna  left 
nothing  to  be  desired  in  certain  rules. 

Amalie  Materna  was  born  in  St)Tia  at  a 
place  named  St.  Georgen,  where  her  father 
was  a  schoolmaster.  This  was  in  1847,  ^iid 
when  she  was  twelve  years  of  age  her  father 
died,  leaving  his  family  penniless. 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Sixties.        169 

Amalie  and  an  older  brother  found  means 
to  go  to  Vienna  where  a  music  teacher  tried 
her  voice,  and  though  he  saw  great  promise 
in  it  he  decUned  to  undertake  her  musical 
education  on  such  terms  as  she  could  offer. 
Sadly  disappointed,  Amalie  joined  her  mother 
and  another  brother  at  St.  Peter  in  Upper 
Styria,  and  lived  there  for  the  fhree  following 
years,  when  the  family  migrated  to  Gratz. 

It  is  related  that  Supp6,  the  composer, 
sometimes  spent  his  summer  holiday  at 
Gratz  with  some  old  friends.  Every  even- 
ing the  party  would  gather  in  the  garden  to 
play  skittles.  When  ready  to  begin  they 
would  call  to  the  woman  next  door  to  send 
the  "lad"  to  set  up  the  skittles.  The 
"lad"  was  a  sprightly,  black-eyed  girl 
named  "Maly"  Materna. 

One  day  Supp6  happened  to  hear  her  sing, 
and  struck  by  the  beauty  of  her  voice,  called 
the  attention  of  Kapellmeister  Zaitz,  also  a 
visitor  at  Gratz.     Soon  after  this  "  Maly " 


170  Famous  Singers, 

became  a  member  of  the  chorus  at  the 
Landes  theatre,  and  by  Suppe's  advice 
Treumann  engaged  her  for  Vienna.  She 
had  meanwhile  developed  her  voice. 

Materna's  first  salary  was  forty  gulden  a 
month,  but  her  first  appearance  was  so  suc- 
cessful that  this  was  raised  to  one  hundred 
gulden.  For  two  years  she  sang  in  Offen- 
bachian  rdles,  and  it  was  at  the  termination 
of  her  second  season  that  she  became  en- 
gaged at  the  Karl  Theatre  in  Vienna,  at  a 
yearly  salary  of  five  thousand  gulden,  with 
an  extra  honorarium  of  five  gulden  for  each 
performance. 

While  appearing  nightly  in  the  light  works 
of  the  French  and  German  composers  of  the 
time,  Fraulein  Materna  studied  diligently 
during  the  day  at  the  more  exacting  r61es  of 
heavy  opera  with  Professor  Proch,  and  in 
1868  sang,  in  the  presence  of  Hoffkapell- 
meister  Esser,  Donna  Elvira's  grand  air 
from  "Don  Giovanni." 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Sixties.        171 

Esser  was  delighted  with  her,  and  insisted 
that  Hofrath  Dingelstedt  should  give  the 
young  singer  a  hearing,  and  the  result  was 
that  she  was  engaged  for  the  Imperial  Opera 
House. 

Shortly  after  her  engagement  at  the 
theatre  in  Gratz  she  married  an  actor  named 
Friedrich,  who  was  engaged  with  her  when 
she  went  to  the  Karl  Theatre,  Vienna. 

In  1869  she  made  her  d6but  at  the  Impe- 
rial Opera  House  in  the  r61e  of  Selika,  in  the 
"Africaine,"  in  which  part  she  was  able  to 
demonstrate  her  capabilities,  for  she  won  a 
signal  success,  and  was  at  once  placed  in  a 
high  position  among  opera  singers  of  the 
German  school. 

Still  higher  honors  were  in  store  for  her. 
In  1876,  twenty-eight  years  after  its  first 
conception,  *'  Der  Ring  des  Nibelungen  "  of 
Wagner  was  performed  entire  at  Bayreuth, 
on  which  occasion  the  part  of  Brunhilde  was 
entrusted    to    Frau    Materna.     The    really 


172  Famous  Singers. 

magnificent  impersonation  which  she  gave 
earned  for  her  a  world-wide  reputation.  It 
was  a  part  for  which  she  was  exceptionally 
well  qualified,  and  in  which  she  never  had 
an  equal.  It  is  stated  that  Wagner,  hearing 
Matema  sing  at  Vienna  while  she  was  at 
the  Imperial  Opera  House,  and  while  the 
production  of  the  Nibelungen  Trilogy  was 
uppermost  in  his  mind,  exclaimed  :  "  Now  I 
have  found  my  Brunhilde.  I  take  her  with 
thanks.  I  am  glad  to  have  found  her  in 
Vienna." 

During  the  Wagner  festival,  which  was 
held  in  London  in  1877,  Matema  confirmed 
the  high  reputation  which  she  had  gained  in 
Germany,  and  when  "  Parsifal "  was  pro- 
duced in  1882  at  Bayreuth,  Matema  created 
the  part  of  Kundry. 

In  1882  she  visited  the  United  States, 
singing  in  New  York,  Cincinnati,  and  Chi- 
cago, and  again  in  1884  she  crossed  the 
Atlantic  and  sang  in  the  Wagner  festival  of 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Sixties.         173 

that  year  with  Scaria  and  Winkelmann,  all 
of  whom  made  good  impressions  and  helped 
to  pave  the  way  for  the  production  of  the 
operas  entire. 

Frau  Materna  retired  from  the  stage  in 
1897,  on  which  occasion  she  sang  in  a  con- 
cert given  in  the  hall  of  the  Musical  Union 
in  Vienna.  A  remarkable  gathering  of  musi- 
cians and  celebrities  was  there.  Materna's 
first  number  was  the  entrance  aria  of  Eliza- 
beth from  "  Tannhauser,"  which  was  given 
with  such  dramatic  force  that  one  could  not 
fail  to  ask,  "  Is  this  the  singer  who  is  about 
to  retire  ?  "  Her  great  triumph  came,  how- 
ever, in  the  last  number,  which  was  "Isol- 
den's  Liebestod,"  and  as  her  wonderful 
voice,  full  of  passion  and  dramatic  power, 
rang  through  the  hall,  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
audience  knew  no  bounds.  After  being  re- 
called many  times  Frau  Materna  was  obliged 
to  make  a  speech  of  thanks,  in  which  she 
touchingly  referred  to  the  many  years  which 


174  Famous  Singers. 

she  had  passed  at  Vienna,  and  to  the  fact 
that  Wagner  had  found  her  there  and  en- 
trusted her  with  the  creation  of  his  greatest 
parts. 

In  private  life  Materna  is  simple  and 
unaffected.  She  is  as  unpretentious  in  her 
personality  as  she  is  great  in  her  talent. 
She  has  the  unassuming  manners  which  so 
endeared  Parepa-Rosa  to  the  hearts  of  the 
people. 

As  an  artist  she  may  best  be  called  a 
vocal  musician.  She  was  not  a  vocal  tech- 
nician of  the  school  of  Jenny  Lind,  Nilsson, 
Patti,  or  Gerster.  Her  voice,  though  unable 
to  give  phenomenal  runs,  trills,  or  cadenzas, 
was  adequately  trained,  and  was  of  remark- 
able richness  and  breadth.  The  work  of 
the  poet  rather  than  of  the  singing  teacher 
was  apparent  in  her  interpretations,  and  the 
dramatic  intensity  and  passionate  force  of 
her  delivery  were  effective  even  upon  the 
concert  stage.     It  is  doubtful  whether  any 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Sixties.        175 

singer  will  ever  combine  more  of  the  quali- 
ties which  are  essential  to  the  perfect  inter- 
pretation of  Wagner's  operas,  and  Materna 
may,  therefore,  be  set  down  as  the  greatest 
singer  of  her  school. 

Matema's  original  contract  for  three  years 
at  the  Imperial  Opera  House  was  many 
times  renewed,  and  she  scarcely  ever  left 
Vienna  during  the  season.  Occasionally  she 
was  heard  in  Frankfort,  Berlin,  Hamburg, 
and  Leipzig.  She  also  sang  in  London  in 
the  Wagner  concerts,  and  she  visited  the 
United  States  several  times.  Since  her  re- 
tirement, she  has  left  Vienna  to  take  up  her 
permanent  abode  in  the  Chdteau  St.  Johann, 
near  Gratz,  which  she  has  purchased. 

When  Bizet  wrote  "  Carmen  "  he  intended 
it  for  Marie  Roze,  a  versatile  artist  of  the 
French  stage.  She,  however,  had  made  an 
engagement  in  England  which  prevented  her 
from  creating  the  role  as  intended,  and  it  was 
re-written  for  Madame  Galli-Mari6,   but  al- 


1^6  Famous  Singers. 

though  she  at  first  had  made  some  objections 
to  the  character  which  Carmen  was  supposed 
to  represent,  she  afterwards  became  famous 
in  that  part, 

Marie  Roze  was  bom  in  Paris  in  1846, 
and  in  1865  gained  first  prizes  at  the  Paris 
Conservatoire  in  singing  and  comic  opera. 
In  the  same  year  she  made  her  d6but  at  the 
Opera  Comique,  and  was  engaged  for  the  fol- 
lowing four  years,  during  which  she  appeared 
in  many  roles.  Her  operatic  career  was 
uniformly  successful ;  she  made  several  tours 
of  Europe,  and  came  to  America  in  1877, 
after  which  she  became  a  member  of  the 
Carl  Rosa  Opera  Company. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  Franco-German 
war,  she  left  the  opera  and  joined  the  army, 
serving  with  the  greatest  zeal  in  the  ambu- 
lance department.  For  her  services  during 
that  struggle  and  during  the  siege  of  Paris, 
she  received  the  Geneva  Cross  and  a  di- 
ploma from  M.  Thiers. 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Sixties.        i  yj 

Mile.  Roze  married  Mr.  Perkins,  a  prom- 
ising American  bass  singer,  but  his  career 
was  cut  short  by  death  in  1875.  She  after- 
wards became  the  wife  of  Colonel  Henry 
Mapleson,  the  impresario,  but  the  marriage 
did  not  prove  to  be  a  happy  one,  and  they 
separated  some  years  later.  One  cannot 
help  wondering  that  Mapleson,  whose  expe- 
rience with  prima  donnas  had  been  so 
harassing,  should  have  allied  himself  matri- 
monially to  one  of  that  ilk,  but  it  is  prob- 
able that  his  experiences  had  warped  his 
nature,  for  in  the  scandal  which  the  separa- 
tion caused,  public  sympathy  was  with  the 
wife.  Madame  Roze  was  the  possessor  of 
great  personal  attractions,  and  in  her  early 
days  was  once  so  pestered  by  an  admirer 
that  she  sought  the  protection  of  the  police. 
The  aggressive  youth,  a  French  gentleman 
who  had  threatened  to  destroy  her  beauty 
with  vitriol  unless  she  favored  his  suit,  at- 
tempted one   night  to   scale  the   wall  and 


176  Famous  Singers. 

enter  her  window.  The  guard  fired  and  the 
misguided  young  man  dropped  dead. 

Madame  Roze  has  of  late  taken  up  her 
residence  again  in  Paris,  where  she  teaches, 
and  occasionally  sings  at  concerts. 

The  year  1868  brought  forth  another 
great  exponent  of  Wagnerian  characters  to 
whom  has  been  accorded  by  many  good 
critics  a  very  high  rank  among  dramatic 
sopranos.  Lilli  Lehmann  was  born  in  1848 
at  Wurzburg,  and  was  taught  singing  by 
her  mother,  who  was  formerly  a  harp  player 
and  prima  donna  at  Cassel  under  Spohr,  and 
the  original  heroine  of  several  operas  written 
by  that  master. 

Fraulein  Lehmann's  position  in  the  oper- 
atic world  was  not  won  suddenly.  She  made 
her  first  appearance  in  Prague  as  the  First 
Boy  in  "  Zauberflote,"  after  which  she  filled 
engagements  in  Dantzig  (1868)  and  Leipzig 
(1870).  In  the  latter  year  she  appeared  at 
Berlin  as  Vielka,  and  was  so  successful  that 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Sixties.         179 

she  received  a  further  engagement.  In  1 876 
she  was  appointed  Imperial  Chamber  singer. 
She  now  began  to  sing  in  Wagner's 
operas,  taking  the  parts  of  Woglinde  and 
Helmwige,  and  she  sang  the  "Bird"  music 
in  Wagner's  trilogy  at  Bayreuth.  In  1880 
she  made  a  successful  appearance  in  Eng- 
land as  Violetta,  and  again  as  Philine  in 
"  Mignon."  She  also  sang  at  Her  Majesty's 
Theatre  for  two  seasons,  and  in  1884  she 
went  to  Covent  Garden  and  made  a  substan- 
tial success  as  Isolde.  The  following  year 
she  visited  the  United  States,  and  for  sev- 
eral years  was  frequently  heard  in  German 
opera,  acquiring  a  great  reputation,  but  in 
1892  she  was  taken  ill  and  returned  to  Ger- 
many. At  that  time  the  condition  of  her 
health  was  such  that  it  was  feared  she  would 
never  sing  again  ;  but  in  1 896  she  reappeared 
and  was  engaged  to  sing  at  Bayreuth,  where 
she  electrified  the  world  by  her  magnificent 
performance.     One  of  the  critics  wrote  re- 


l8o  Famous  Singers. 

garding  the  event :  "  Lehmann  is  the  greatest 
dramatic  singer  alive,  despite  the  fact  that 
her  voice  is  no  longer  fresh  ;  but  her  art 
is  consummate,  her  tact  so  delicate,  and  her 
appreciation  of  the  dramatic  situation  so 
accurate,  that  to  see  her  simply  in  repose 
is  keen  pleasure." 

Like  all  the  greatest  Wagnerian  singers, 
her  reputation  was  made  in  work  of  a  very 
different  nature.  It  was,  indeed,  because  of 
her  ability  to  sing  music  of  the  Italian  school 
that  she  was  so  highly  successful  in  the 
Wagner  r61es,  and  it  may  be  stated  that  her 
long  career,  and  Materna's,  are  sufficient 
refutation  of  the  oft-repeated  assertion,  that 
Wagner  opera  wears  out  a  singer's  voice 
rapidly. 

In  1888  Lilli  Lehmann  married  Paul  Ka- 
lisch,  of  Berlin,  a  tenor  singer  of  good  repute. 
The  marriage  took  place  after  an  engage- 
ment of  several  years,  and  was  carried  out, 
in  a  most  informal  manner,  in   New  York. 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Sixties.        i8i 

HeiT  Kalisch  telegraphed  one  afternoon  to 
a  clergyman  to  the  effect  that  he  was  coming 
at  five  o'clock  to  be  married.  The  clergy- 
man held  himself  in  readiness,  the  couple 
arrived  promptly,  and  the  knot  was  tied. 
During  the  few  years  of  retirement,  Frau 
Lehmann-Kalisch  resided  in  Berlin,  where 
she  devoted  her  time  to  teaching  the  vocal 
art,  but  since  her  Bayreuth  appearance  of 
1896,  she  has  revisited  America,  and  renewed 
her  former  triumphs. 

Minnie  Hauk  will  be  remembered  as  the 
creator  (in  London)  of  "  Carmen,"  in  Bizet's 
opera  of  that  name.  The  opera  had  not 
been  very  successful  in  Paris,  but  when  it 
was  produced  at  Her  Majesty's,  in  London, 
Miss  Hauk  demonstrated  that  she  was  not 
only  a  singer  of  more  than  ordinary  ability, 
but  possessed  also  considerable  dramatic 
power. 

Miss  Hauk  was  born  in  New  York,  in 
1852.     Her   father  was   a   German,  and   a 


l82  Famous  Singers. 

scholar  of  high  reputation,  who,  having 
taken  part  in  the  revolutionary  movement 
of  1848,  went  to  New  York,  where  he 
married  an  American  lady.  On  account  of 
her  health  he  was  obliged  to  take  her,  and 
the  child,  Minnie,  to  the  West,  and  they 
settled  at  Leavenworth,  Kan.,  where  Mr. 
Hauk  acquired  some  property.  At  this  time 
Kansas  was  still  peopled  by  Indians,  and 
life  was  rough  and  unsettled.  Amidst  wars, 
inundations,  hurricanes,  and  attacks  from 
Indians,  Minnie  Hauk  spent  her  early 
childhood. 

Her  mother's  health  did  not  improve  even 
under  these  stimulating  conditions,  and  the 
family  moved  to  New  Orleans,  taking  pas- 
sage in  a  steamer  owned  by  Mr.  Hauk. 
This  vessel  was  lost  during  the  voyage,  but 
the  family  arrived  safely  in  New  Orleans,  in 
time  to  witness  the  siege  of  that  city  during 
the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  —  the  burning 
of  the  cotton,  presses  and  ships,  the  battle, 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Sixties.         1 83 

and  the  occupation  by  Northern  troops,  all 
form  most  interesting  and  striking  recollec- 
tions. Yet  amidst  the  scene  of  strife,  the 
young  girl  was  singing  from  morning  till 
night,  roaming  about  the  plantations  sur- 
rounding the  city,  climbing  trees,  imitating  the 
songs  of  birds.  The  negroes  on  the  plantations 
taught  her  their  songs,  she  learned  to  play 
the  banjo,  and  she  organized  theatrical  per- 
formances amongst  her  playmates.  All  her 
inclinations  pointed  to  a  stage  career,  and 
when  a  concert  was  arranged  for  the  benefit 
of  the  widows  and  orphans  of  the  war,  she 
was  invited  to  sing,  though  not  more  than 
twelve  years  old. 

This  was  her  first  appearance  in  public, 
and  the  pieces  which  she  sang  were  "  Casta 
Diva,"  and  a  selection  from  Auber's  "  Crown 
Diamonds."  Her  success  in  this  concert  was 
so  great,  that  when  the  family  returned  to 
New  York,  she  was  placed  under  Signor 
Errani    to    begin    her    operatic    education. 


184  Famous  Singers. 

She  made  rapid  progress,  and  after  several 
essays  at  the  private  theatre  of  Mr.  Leonard 
Jones,  she  made  a  successful  d6but  at  the 
Academy  of  Music,  singing  the  part  of 
Amina  in  "  La  Sonnambula,"  and  becom- 
ing at  once  a  popular  singer.  This  was  in 
1868,  and  later  in  the  same  year  she  made 
her  d6but  in  London. 

Under  the  management  of  Maurice  Stra- 
kosch  she  made  a  tour  through  Holland  and 
Russia,  and  was  also  well  received  in  Vienna, 
in  1870,  at  the  Imperial  Opera  House.  In 
1874,  she  was  invited  to  join  the  Royal 
Opera  House  at  Berlin,  as  leading  prima 
donna,  by  the  express  desire  of  Emperor 
William  and  the  Empress  Augusta.  Here 
she  remained  four  years. 

In  1 877  she  appeared  at  the  Th^itre  de  la 
Monnaie,  Brussels,  and  in  1878  she  returned 
to  America.  During  the  spring  seasons  of 
1878  to  1880,  she  sang  on  alternate  nights 
with  Nilsson,  at  Her  Majesty's  in  London. 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Sixties.        185 

She  made  a  brilliant  record  both  in  Europe  and 
America,  as  a  leading  star  of  Her  Majesty's 
Opera  Company  during  the  seasons  of  1881- 
2-3-4-5-6,  but  of  late  years  has  not  been 
heard  in  opera. 

Mapleson  gives  Miss  Hauk  credit  for  being 
one  of  the  most  capricious  of  prima  donnas, 
and  declares  that  he  generally  received  three 
or  four  notes  a  day  from  her  containing  com- 
plaints or  requests.  She  married  in  1876 
Chevalier  Hesse  von  Wartegg,  who  has  writ- 
ten some  interesting  books  on  Tunis  and 
Algiers. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

PRIMA   DONNAS    OF    THE    SEVENTIES. 

The  decade  beginning  with  the  year  1 860 
was  remarkably  prolific  in  singers,  producing 
not  only  the  prima  donnas  whose  careers  we 
have  reviewed  in  the  previous  chapters,  but 
also  some  of  the  finest  contralto,  tenor,  and 
baritone  singers  of  the  latter  part  of  the  cen- 
tury. With  each  decade  we  find  the  Ameri- 
can singer  more  in  evidence.  We  have  had 
Clara  Louise  Kellogg  and  Minnie  Hauk, 
the  sopranos,  Adelaide  Phillips,  contralto, 
and  Annie  Louise  Cary,  and  the  number 
increases  as  we  proceed,  until  we  find 
American  singers  standing  on  an  artistic 
equality  with  the  best  that  the  world  can 
produce. 

186 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Seventies.      187 

The  decade  of  1870  opens  with  a  prima 
donna  from  the  American  continent,  —  a 
singer  who  has  held  her  place  in  public 
estimation  for  nearly  thirty  years,  Madame 
Albani,  While  she  was  not  such  a  mar- 
vellous colorature  singer  as  Patti  or  Gerster, 
she  combined  so  many  excellent  qualities 
that  she  is  justly  entitled  to  a  position 
among  the  great  singers  of  the  century. 
As  one  critic  expressed  his  opinion,  she 
was  "beautiful,  tuneful,  birdlike,  innocent, 
and  ladylike,"  to  which  might  be  added, 
"always  reliable." 

Madame  Albani's  family  name  was  Marie 
Louise  Cecilia  Emma  Lajeunesse,  and  she 
was  born,  in  1850,  of  French-Canadian  par- 
ents at  Chambly,  near  Montreal.  Her  father 
was  a  professor  of  the  harp,  so  she  began 
life  in  a  musical  atmosphere.  When  she 
was  five  years  of  age  the  family  moved  to 
Montreal,  and  she  was  placed  in  the  convent 
of  the  Sacre  Cceur,  where  she  received  her 


1 88  Famous  Singers. 

education,  and  such  musical  instruction  as 
the  convent  could  provide.  In  1864  the 
family  again  moved,  this  time  to  Albany, 
N.  Y.,  and  when  Mile.  Lajeunesse  entered 
upon  her  professional  career,  she  adopted 
the  name  of  this  city,  because  it  was  here 
that  she  decided  upon  becoming  a  profes- 
sional singer. 

While  singing  in  the  choir  of  the  Catholic 
Cathedral  she  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
bishop  by  her  beautiful  voice,  and  he  strongly 
urged  her  father  to  take  her  to  Europe, 
and  place  her  under  proper  masters  for  the 
development  of  her  remarkable  talent.  To 
provide  the  necessary  funds,  a  concert  was 
given  in  Albany,  after  which  Mile.  La- 
jeunesse and  her  father  proceeded  to  Paris, 
where  she  commenced  her  studies  with  Du- 
prez.  After  some  months  she  went  on  to 
Milan,  where  she  became  a  pupil  of  Lam- 
perti,  who  thought  so  highly  of  her  that  he 
dedicated  to  her  a  treatise  on  "the  shake." 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Seventies.       1 89 

In  1870  she  made  her  d^but  at  Messina,  in 
the  Sonnambula,  after  which  she  sang  for  a 
time  at  Florence. 

In  1872  she  obtained  an  engagement  in 
London,  and  on  April  2d  appeared  at  the 
Royal  Italian  Opera,  Covent  Garden.  The 
beautiful  qualities  of  her  voice  and  the  charm 
of  her  appearance  were  at  once  appreciated, 
and  before  the  end  of  the  season  she  was 
firmly  established  in  the  favor  of  the  public. 
Later  in  the  season  she  appeared  in  Paris, 
and  then  returned  to  Milan  for  further  study, 
but  so  favorable  an  impression  had  she  made, 
that  she  was  engaged  for  the  season  of  1 873 
in  London.  She  then  went  to  St.  Peters- 
burg, after  which  she  revisited  America,  and 
sang  again  in  the  Cathedral  at  Albany. 

In  1878  Albani  married  Mr.  Ernest  Gye, 
the  lessee  of  Covent  Garden  Theatre,  and 
for  many  years  was  one  of  the  permanent 
attractions  at  that  house.  She  has  visited 
America  several  times,  and  has  also  sung  in 


190  Famous  Singers. 

most  of  the  large  cities  of  Europe,  where  her 
reputation  has  been  steadily  maintained. 

Madame  Albani's  honors  have  not  all  been 
won  in  opera,  though  she  has  an  immense 
repertoire,  including  Italian,  French,  and 
German  operas.  She  is  also  one  of  the 
foremost  concert  and  oratorio  singers,  and 
has  had  the  honor  of  creating  numerous 
soprano  parts  at  the  great  festivals.  At 
the  request  of  Sir  Arthur  Sullivan,  she 
travelled  from  Brussels  to  Berlin  expressly 
to  sing  the  part  of  "  Elsie  "  in  the  "  Golden 
Legend,"  at  its  second  performance  in  that 
city.  She  had  created  the  part  when  it  was 
produced  in  1886. 

In  England,  where  Madame  Albani  has 
made  her  home  for  so  many  years,  she  is 
as  popular  and  as  highly  respected  on  ac- 
count of  her  domestic  life,  as  on  account 
of  her  artistic  career,  and  her  friends  are 
not  only  numerous  but  include  many  of  the 
most  intellectual  people  of  the  day. 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Seventies.      191 

Notwithstanding  the  success  which  Ma- 
dame Albani  made  in  England,  France, 
Russia,  and  other  countries,  she  had  her 
trials  and  disappointments.  At  one  time, 
when  she  was  singing  at  La  Scala,  in  Milan, 
she  was  suffering  from  a  slight  hoarseness. 
Most  audiences  would  have  been  indulgent, 
but  not  so  the  Milanese,  who  are  particularly 
cruel  to  singers  who  have  made  their  reputa- 
tion in  other  places.  The  Milanese  hissed 
and  groaned.  Huskiness  in  a  singer  was, 
to  them,  a  crime.  The  tenor,  seeing  how 
matters  stood,  was  taken  with  a  sudden  in- 
disposition, and  left  Albani  to  carry  on  the 
performance  alone.  The  opera  was  "  Lucia," 
and  it  proceeded  no  farther  than  the  mad 
scene,  for  Madame  Albani,  indignant  at  the 
treatment  accorded  her,  turned  her  back  on 
the  audience,  and  in  a  most  dignified  man- 
ner, marched  off  the  stage,  leaving  the  cur- 
tain to  fall  on  a  scene  of  confusion.  No 
entreaties  or  arguments  on  the  part  of  the 


192  Famous  Singers. 

impresario  would  induce  her  to  finish  the 
opera,  or  even  to  continue  her  engagement 
at  La  Scala. 

Colonel  Mapleson  tells  this  story  concern- 
ing Albani's  first  London  engagement.  He 
heard  of  her  singing  at  a  small  theatre  at 
Malta,  and,  thinking  that  she  would  be  suc- 
cessful, he  made  her  an  offer,  through  an 
agent,  of  a  contract  to  sing  at  Her  Majesty's 
Theatre.  She  agreed  to  it,  and  went  to 
London,  but,  on  arriving  there,  she  told  the 
cabman  to  drive  her  to  the  **  Italian  Opera 
House."  He,  instead  of  going  to  Her  Maj- 
esty's, took  her  to  Covent  Garden,  which 
was  also  devoted  to  Italian  opera.  She  was 
shown  up  to  the  manager's  office,  and  stated 
that  she  had  come  to  sign  the  contract  which 
Mr.  Mapleson  had  offered  her.  Mr.  Gye, 
thinking  to  play  a  joke  on  his  rival,  Maple- 
son, made  out  a  contract,  and  Albani  signed 
it,  Mr.  Gye  then  told  her  that  he  was  not 
Colonel  Mapleson,  but  that  he  could  do  much 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Seventies.      193 

better  for  her.  He  offered  to  tear  up  the 
contract  if  she  liked,  but  told  her  that  Nils- 
son  was  singing  at  Her  Majesty's  and  would 
brook  no  rival.  Albani  decided  to  let  the 
contract  stand,  and  thus  became  one  of  the 
stars  of  Covent  Garden,  eventually  marrying 
the  son  of  Mr.  Gye. 

Concerning  Albani's  singing  in  Berlin,  the 
Berliner  Tageblatt  said:  "The lady  possesses 
an  exceedingly  peculiar  organ,  trained  in  a 
remarkable  manner,  and  no  one  else  has 
a  voice  which  can  be  compared  to  it.  It 
is  not  extensive  in  its  range ;  the  lower 
chest  notes  of  the  one-line  octave  might 
be  fuller  and  more  powerful,  but  the  upper 
register  is  distinguished  for  enchanting 
sweetness,  unfailing  correctness,  and,  what 
is  especially  worthy  of  notice,  a  softness 
enabling  the  lady  to  breathe  forth  the  gen- 
tlest pianissimo  in  passages  which  others 
can  reach  only  with  the  greatest  effort. 
Runs,  staccatos,  and  shakes  are  not  merely 


194  Famous  Singers. 

certain  and  pleasing,  but,  as  regards  form, 
so  graceful  that  we  listen  to  them  with 
delight." 

An  interesting  anecdote  concerning  Ma- 
dame Albani,  and  one  which  may  tend  to 
confirm  the  faith  of  those  who  doubt  theo- 
rists, is  to  the  effect  that,  when  she  was 
young  and  unknown,  she  paid  a  visit  to 
a  throat  specialist,  who  had  a  theory  that, 
by  examination,  it  is  possible  for  an  expert 
to  tell  whether  the  possessor  has  an  organ 
susceptible  of  producing  a  fine  singer,  even 
if  he  does  not  know  music,  and  never  sang 
a  note. 

After  examining  Albani,  without  knowing 
her  particular  reason  for  consulting  him,  he 
exclaimed  :  "  My  dear  young  lady,  Nature  has 
given  you  a  wonderful  organ.  You  can,  if 
you  will,  become  one  of  the  greatest  of  sing- 
ers. If  you  possess  dramatic  ability  equal 
to  the  endowment  of  your  throat,  you  can 
become  a  famous  lyric  artist,  and  I  advise 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Seventies.      195 

you  to  devote  your  energies  to  the  cultivation 
of  your  powers." 

The  young  singer  thanked  him,  and  disap- 
peared. Some  years  after,  he  went  West, 
and  one  day  in  Chicago,  a  handsomely 
dressed  lady  entered  his  office.  "  Don't 
you  know  me.?"  she  said.  But  he  was 
unable  to  recall  her  last  visit,  until  she 
revealed  her  name,  and  related  the  whole 
incident,  when  he  seemed  very  much  sur- 
prised at  the  proof  of  his  own  wisdom. 

In  1898  Madame  Albani  paid  a  visit  to 
South  Africa,  where  she  had  a  grand  recep- 
tion. After  a  career  of  nearly  thirty  years, 
she  is  still  as  popular  as  ever. 

The  history  of  Emma  Abbott  is  one 
which  will  be  read  with  interest  by  all 
struggling  and  ambitious  young  people,  for 
it  is  a  story  of  brave  battling  against  innu- 
merable difficulties.  Miss  Abbott  was  the 
daughter  of  a  poor  music  teacher,  of  Peoria, 
Illinois.     Her  early  years  gave  her  an  ac- 


196  Famous  Singers. 

quaintance  with  hardship  which,  perhaps, 
enabled  her  to  keep  up  her  courage  in  the 
face  of  all  obstacles.  Imbued  with  the  desire 
to  help  the  family  finances,  she  got  the  idea 
of  giving  a  concert  on  her  own  account,  for 
even  as  a  small  child  she  had  a  beautiful  voice. 
At  the  age  of  thirteen,  when  she  went  to 
Mount  Pulaski,  on  a  visit  to  some  friends, 
she  put  her  idea  into  execution.  She  was 
trusted  by  the  printer  for  her  programmes 
and  handbills.  She  posted  her  notices  with 
her  own  hand,  and  secured  a  good  audience. 
Her  proceeds  amounted  to  ten  dollars,  of 
which  three  dollars  went  to  settle  her  bills, 
and  with  the  remaining  seven  dollars  she 
returned  in  triumph  to  her  mother.  After 
this,  she  gave  guitar  lessons  to  pay  her 
schooling.  At  the  age  of  sixteen,  she  heard 
of  a  vacancy  for  a  school-teacher,  and  walked 
nine  miles  to  see  the  school  committee,  with 
the  result  that,  in  recognition  of  her  pluck,  the 
place  was  given  to  her.     Four  months  later 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Seventies.       197 

she  gave  her  first  large  concert  in  Peoria, 
and  made  one  hundred  dollars.  She  now 
travelled  to  various  places  giving  concerts 
and  fell  in  with  an  opera  company  from 
Chicago,  the  manager  of  which  induced  her 
to  join  the  company.  In  due  course  the 
company  broke  up,  and  Miss  Abbott  found 
herself  without  money,  but  a  kind-hearted 
railroad  man  advised  her  to  go  to  New 
York,  and  present  herself  to  Parepa-Rosa. 
He  gave  her  a  pass  to  Detroit,  and  then 
she  was  to  go  through  Canada,  and  so  to 
New  York.  Her  journey  was  managed  in 
the  face  of  tremendous  obstacles.  She  gave 
concerts,  but  found  little  response  to  her 
efforts.  She  frequently  had  to  walk  from 
one  town  to  another.  Once  she  had  her 
feet  frozen  and  many  times  she  suffered 
from  hunger.  At  last  she  reached  New 
York,  but,  in  spite  of  all  her  efforts,  failed 
to  reach  Parepa-Rosa,  and  with  her  last  fif- 
teen dollars,  she  set  out  for  the  West  again. 


198  Famoiis  Singers. 

While  in  Toledo  she  heard  that  Miss  Kel- 
logg was  in  town,  and  she  called  at  her  hotel 
and  asked  to  see  her.  She  sang  for  Miss 
Kellogg,  who  received  her  kindly,  and  who 
was  so  pleased  with  her  that  she  gave  her 
a  letter  to  Errani,  New  York,  and  enough 
money  to  enable  her  to  study  for  two 
years. 

Thus  ended  her  bitterest  struggles.  After 
studying  some  time  she  secured  the  position 
of  soprano  in  the  choir  of  the  Fifth  Avenue 
Church,  with  a  salary  of  ;?  1,500,  and  on  May 
20,  1872,  she  set  off  for  Europe  with  a  large 
sum  of  money  subscribed  by  the  wealthy 
people  of  the  church,  whose  admiration  she 
had  gained  by  her  voice  and  her  character. 

She  soon  made  her  d6but  in  Paris,  and 
made  a  sensation.  In  Paris  she  married 
Eugene  Wetherell,  a  young  druggist  of  New 
York. 

If  Miss  Abbott  is  not  enrolled  among  the 
great  opera  singers,  it  is  because  her  ambi- 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Seventies.       1 99 

tion  led  her  away  from  the  beaten  track,  for, 
having  made  a  reputation,  she  established  an 
opera  company  of  her  own,  which  existed  in 
America  for  several  years,  and  enabled  her 
to  make  a  fortune  estimated  at  half  a  million 
dollars.  Her  husband  died  in  1889,  and  his 
loss  was  a  blow  from  which  she  never  fully 
recovered.  She  was  herself  taken  away  in 
her  prime  in   1891. 

In  1873  a  young  singer  made  her  d^but 
at  Dresden,  who  was  destined  to  achieve  a 
high  reputation  as  an  interpreter  of  Wagner, 
and  to  rival  the  greatest  stars  of  her  school. 
Th6r6se  Malten,  who  was  born  at  Inster- 
burg,  Eastern  Prussia,  appeared  in  Dresden 
as  Pamiria,  and  as  Agatha.  For  nearly  ten 
years  she  sang  only  in  Dresden,  taking  many 
of  the  soprano  r61es  in  Italian  opera.  In 
1882  she  sang  at  Bayreuth,  as  Kundry,  at 
the  desire  of  Wagner,  who  had  a  very  high 
opinion  of  her  ability,  which  was  amply 
justified  by  the  results. 


30P  Famous  Singers. 

In  London  she  appeared  in  May,  1882, 
when  she  made  a  great  impression,  and  the 
critics  declared  that,  though  her  art  in  sing- 
ing was  not  so  perfect  as  Materna's,  her 
voice  was  fresh,  magnificent,  powerful,  and 
that  she  had  great  personal  beauty.  Besides 
possessing  a  voice  of  extraordinary  compass, 
with  deep  and  powerful  notes  in  the  lower 
register,  she  was  considered  an  admirable 
actress.  In  1883  she  was  chosen  by  Wag- 
ner to  sing  the  part  of  Isolde  at  Bayreuth, 
when  she  was  described,  amidst  all  the 
praise  that  was  bestowed  upon  her,  as  a 
young  singer  who  was  never  known  out  of 
Dresden  until  she  sang  in  London  the 
previous  year. 

Madame  Katharina  Lohse-Klafsky,  who 
was  bom  in  the  same  year  as  Malten,  and 
was  for  several  years  prima  donna  at  the 
Hamburg  Opera,  visited  America  in  1895, 
and  died  unexpectedly  at  Hamburg  the  fol- 
lowing year  as  the  result  of  an  operation. 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Seventies.      201 

She  was  a  native  of  Hungary,  and  began  her 
career  in  Italian  opera,  though  she  was  best 
known  as  a  Wagnerian  singer.  She  had  a 
large  repertoire,  and  created  the  part,  in  Ger- 
man, in  "  La  Navarraise."  She  met  with 
great  success  in  London  in  1892  and  1894. 
She  had  a  full,  rich-toned  voice  and  a  hand- 
some stage  presence. 

A  career  of  exceptional  brilliance,  but  all 
too  brief,  was  that  of  Etelka  Gerster,  who 
was  bom  at  Koschau,  in  Hungary,  in  1856. 
Her  father  was  a  merchant,  and  brought  up 
his  family  to  refined  tastes.  All  his  children 
were  fond  of  music,  but  none  seemed  to 
think  of  special  musical  study  until  a  visiting 
friend  from  Vienna  spoke  of  the  promise 
which  he  thought  lay  in  Etelka's  voice. 

This  gentleman  asked  permission  to  bring 
his  friend  Hellmesberger  to  hear  her,  and 
some  time  later  the  visit  took  place.  Doctor 
Hellmesberger  endorsed  the  opinion  already 
given,  but  said  that  there  was  only  one  judge 


202  Famous  Singers. 

of  such  matters  in  Vienna,  —  Madame  Mar- 
chesi.  A  visit  was  therefore  made  to  Vienna, 
with  the  result  that  Mile.  Gerster  became  a 
pupil  of  Marchesi,  and  after  a  year  of  hard 
study  won  first  prize  at  the  Conservatoire. 

About  this  time  "Aida"  was  brought  out 
at  Vienna,  and  the  composer  Verdi  came  to 
superintend  its  production.  He  visited  the 
Conservatoire,  and  a  little  soiree  musicale 
was  given  in  his  honor.  On  this  occasion 
Gerster  sang  several  pieces,  and  Verdi  was 
so  pleased  that  he  advised  her  to  go  on  the 
stage. 

Soon  after  this  Gerster  got  an  engage- 
ment to  sing  at  Venice  under  the  man- 
agement of  Signer  Gardini.  She  spent  two 
seasons  singing  in  Italian  and  Spanish  towns, 
but  in  1 877  she  appeared  in  Berlin  at  Kroll's 
Theatre.  This  engagement  was  the  turning- 
point  of  her  career,  for  by  the  magic  of  her 
voice  she  turned  the  second-class  theatre 
into  a  resort  to  which  the  nobility  flocked 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Seventies.      203 

every  night,  and  the  venerable  emperor  and 
his  court  always  held  the  front  row  of  seats. 

For  three  weeks  the  company,  composed 
of  singers  unknown  to  fame,  sang  to  empty 
houses.  Then,  whispers  of  the  fact  that 
Kroll's  Theatre  had  a  singer  of  extraordi- 
nary ability  resulted  in  increasing  audiences. 
The  emperor  came  and  was  delighted,  and 
an  invitation  to  sing  at  court  was  the  result. 
After  this  triumphant  engagement,  Gerster 
married  her  manager,  Signor  Gardini,  while 
they  were  in  Pesth. 

Compared  with  many  prima  donnas,  Ma- 
dame Gerster's  life  has  been  uneventful. 
Her  position  as  a  singer  was  as  a  represen- 
tative of  the  old  art  of  beautiful  singing. 
She  charmed  with  gracefulness,  smoothness, 
and  exquisite  finish  of  execution,  and  the 
most  perfect  musical  taste,  which  every 
phrase,  even  in  the  most  florid  passages, 
revealed.  She  could  not  awe,  like  Pasta, 
but   she   could   fascinate   and   charm.     She 


204  Famous  Singers. 

was  not  a  great  actress,  but  she  was  graceful 
and  pleasing  on  the  stage. 

Madame  Gerster  visited  the  United  States 
several  times,  but  at  the  end  of  the  season 
of  1 88 1  she  declared  that  she  would  never 
sing  again  under  the  management  of  Colonel 
Mapleson.  He  had  hurt  her  feelings  by  neg- 
lect. He  had  called  on  other  members  of 
the  company,  and  showed  various  little  at- 
tentions to  them,  but  he  never  called  on  her 
nor  inquired  about  her  health  when  she  was 
not  feeling  well,  and  finally  went  off  to  Eu- 
rope without  saying  "  Good-by."  This  hurt 
the  feelings  of  Signor  Gardini,  as  well  as 
those  of  his  talented  spouse,  but  she  neverthe- 
less returned  as  a  member  of  his  company  in 
1883-84,  when  there  was  great  rivalry  be- 
tween Gerster  and  Patti.  On  approaching 
Cheyenne,  Patti  insisted  on  having  her  car 
detached  from  the  train  and  making  a  sep- 
arate entry,  as  she  could  not  bear  to  share 
the  admiration  of  the  multitude  with  Gerster. 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Seventies.       205 

During  this  tour  there  was  one  occasion  on 
which,  Patti  and  Gerster  appearing  together, 
Patti  received  so  many  flowers  that  the  audi- 
ence were  weary  with  the  delay  caused  by 
handing  them  over  the  footlights.  When 
this  ceremony  was  over,  one  small  basket  of 
flowers  was  handed  for  Gerster,  but  the  audi- 
ence arose  and  gave  her  a  tremendous  ova- 
tion. Henceforth  Patti  refused  to  sing  with 
Gerster,  and  open  war  was  declared,  Patti 
declaring  that  Gerster  had  "the  evil  eye," 
and  Gerster  saying  pointed  things  about 
Patti,  as,  for  instance,  when  the  aged  gov- 
ernor of  Missouri,  in  a  burst  of  enthusiasm, 
kissed  Patti,  and  Gerster,  on  being  asked 
her  opinion  about  this  frivolity,  said  that  she 
saw  no  harm  in  a  man  kissing  a  woman  old 
enough  to  be  his  mother. 

In  1885  Gerster  came  again  to  America 
on  a  concert  tour,  but  her  beautiful  voice 
had  gone.  She  sang  twice  in  New  York, 
and  made  a  most  dismal  failure,  so  she  gave 


2o6  Famous  Singers. 

up  the  tour  and  went  home,  much  to  the 
regret  of  Americans  who  remembered  the 
days  when  her  singing  gave  the  most 
exquisite  dehght. 

Signor  and  Signora  Gardini  had  a  beauti- 
ful estate  in  the  Campagna  of  Italy,  to  which 
they  retired  between  seasons,  and  where  they 
enjoyed  entertaining  their  guests.  Signora 
Gardini  was  devoted  to  the  cares  of  her 
household,  and  proved  herself  to  be  an 
excellent  housekeeper  and  an  accomplished 
cook. 

In  this  home  nothing  was  wanting  to 
make  it  a  most  delightful  place  of  residence 
for  even  such  a  spoiled  child  as  a  prima 
donna.  But  alas  !  this  happy  life  was  des- 
tined to  end  very  soon.  Colonel  Mapleson 
in  his  memoirs  declared  that  Gerster  was 
a  most  difficult  person  to  get  along  with, 
and  now  Signor  Gardini  was  forced  to  the 
same  conclusion,  for  it  was  reported  that  the 
beautiful  prima  donna  was  in  the  habit  of 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Seventies.      207 

giving  way  to  frightful  outbursts  of  temper. 
To  this  cause  is  attributed  the  loss  of  her 
voice,  as  well  as  the  loss  of  her  husband. 
The  "Villa  Mezzana"  was  closed,  and  por- 
tions of  the  estate  let  to  various  small 
farmers.  Madame  Gerster  went  with  her 
children  to  Paris,  but  soon  after  moved  to 
Berlin  and  became  a  vocal  teacher.  She 
was  only  twenty-eight  years  of  age  when  at 
the  height  of  her  fame,  and  at  thirty  her 
career  was  over.  Referring  to  Mapleson 
once  more,  who  was  never  inclined  to  mince 
matters  when  he  was  annoyed  by  a  prima 
donna,  we  get  the  following  anecdote. 
While  travelling  between  Louisville  and 
Chicago,  the  sleeping-car  in  which  Gerster 
was  travelling  broke  down  and  had  to  be 
side-tracked.  Madame  Gerster  was  requested 
to  change  into  another  car,  as  it  was  impos- 
sible to  continue  in  the  one  which  she  was 
occupying,  but  she  positively  refused  to 
move.     She  had  paid  to  ride  in  that  car,  and 


2oS  Famous  Singers, 

in  that  car  would  she  go  and  in  no  other. 
No  arguments  could  induce  her  to  change 
her  mind.  At  last  an  expedient  was  dis- 
covered, —  the  station  agent  at  the  nearest 
place  was  a  remarkably  fine-looking  man. 
He  was  dressed  up  and  introduced  to  her  as 
the  president  of  the  road.  He  flattered  her 
till  she  began  to  soften,  and  then  told  her 
that  the  company  would  be  under  great 
obligations  to  her  if  she  would  consent  to 
use  another  car.  He  had  a  Brussels  carpet 
laid  from  the  door  of  her  car  to  that  which 
she  was  to  occupy,  and  the  lady,  pleased 
at  the  deference  shown  to  her  by  so  high 
an  official,  at  last  consented  to  make  the 
change. 

Some  of  the  press  criticisms  of  Gerster's 
performances  during  her  tour  in  1881  were 
highly  amusing.  The  following  were  se- 
lected from  a  paper  published  in  a  large 
Southern  city :  "  Mrs.  Gerster's  Lucia  is 
the  Lucia  of  our  youth,  and  our  first  ecsta- 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Seventies.      209 

sies  arose  as  from  a  nest  of  flowers  as  fresh 
and  adorable  as  ever,"  whatever  that  may 
mean.  What  it  ordinarily  described  as  a 
walk  was  pictured  in  the  following  mysteri- 
ous sentence  :  "  Her  light  tread  as  of  a  rest- 
less and  frightened  bird."  Some  of  her 
trills  were  described  as  "aflame  with 
passionate  intoxication,"  while  others  were 
"white  and  wet  with  the  tears  of  grief." 
All  this  excellence  was  manifested  with 
"never  a  scream  to  mar  her  singing."  Such 
admirable  descriptions  must  have  gone  far 
towards  reconciling  those  who  were  unable 
to  see  and  hear  the  great  songstress. 

There  is  and  has  been  much  fault  to  find 
with  American  musical  criticism.  Excellent 
musicians  have  been  subjected  to  the  vulgar 
abuse  of  self-sufficient  ignoramuses.  A 
movement  was  recently  put  on  foot  to 
establish  a  school  of  musical  journalism,  and 
possibly  the  following  selection,  which  was 
written  concerning  a  lady  of  excellent  musi- 


2IO  Famous  Singers. 

cal  ability  and  of  world-wide  reputation,  may 
be  allowed  here  as  an  argument  in  favor  of  a 
proper  training  for  critics.  For  absolute 
vulgarity  it  may  be  awarded  a  first  prize. 
It  was  written  in  1882  in  a  city  which  lays 
claim  to  civilization,  and  the  only  excuse  for 
its  introduction  is  the  hope  that  it  may  serve 
a  good  end. 

"  The  divine was  as  resolute  as  usual,  which, 

by  the  way,  she  ought  to  be,  being  well  seasoned. 
The  editor  of  this  paper  makes  no  great  pretensions 
in  the  way  of  musical  criticism,  but  when  a  genuine 
six  hundred  dollar  grand  spiral  subsand  twist,  back- 
action,  self-adjusting,  chronometer-balanced,  full- 
jewelled,  fourth-proof,  ripsnorting  conglomeration 
comes  to  town,  he  proposes  to  hump  himself.  Her 
diaphragm  has  evidently  not,  like  wine,  improved 
with  old  age  Her  upper  register  is  up-stairs  near 
the  skylight,  while  her  lower  register  is  closed  for 

repairs.    The  aforesaid performed  her  triple  act 

of  singing,  rolling  her  eyes,  and  speaking  to  some 
one  at  the  wings,  at  the  same  time.  Her  smiles  at 
the  feller  behind  the  scenes  were  divine.  Her  sing- 
ing, when  she  condescended  to  pay  attention  to  the 
audience,  to  my  critical  ear  (the  other  ear  being 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Seventies.      211 

folded  up)  seemed  to  be  a  blending  of  fortissimo, 
crescendo,  damfino  or  care  either.  Her  costume  was 
the  harmonious  blending  of  the  circus  tent  and 
balloon  style,  and  was  very  gorgeous,  barring  a  ten- 
dency to  spill  some  of  its  contents  out  at  the  top, 
The  Italian  part  of  the  business  was  as  fidgety  and 
furious  as  usual,  and  demonstrated  what  early 
associations  with  hand-organ  and  monkey  will 
accomplish. 

"  The  venerable  and  obese  freak  of  nature, , 

was  as  usual,  his  appearance  very  nearly  resembling 
a  stove  in  a  corner  grocery,  or  water-tank  on  a 
narrow-gauge  railroad.  He  was  not  fully  appreci- 
ated until  he  turned  to  go  off  the  stage.  Then  he 
appeared  to  the  best  advantage,  and  seemed  to  take 
an  interest  in  getting  out  of  sight  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible, an  effort  in  which  he  had  the  hearty  approval 
of  the  audience." 

Maurice  Strakosch,  on  behalf  of  Christine 
Nilsson,  brought  suit  against  a  paper  pub- 
lished in  a  large  town  in  New  York  State  for 
printing  an  article  under  the  head  of  "  Nils- 
son  Swindle,"  in  which  the  bucolic  editor 
declared  that  Nilsson  was  no  singer  and 
could  not  be  compared  with  Jenny  Lind; 


212  Famous  Singers. 

therefore  she  had  no  right  to  charge  Lind 
prices. 

Marcella  Sembrich,  who  made  her  d^but  in 
1877  as  an  opera  singer,  is  one  of  the  most 
talented  musicians  of  the  century.  She  was 
born  in  Galicia,  at  Lemberg,  in  1858,  and 
was  taught  music  by  her  father,  while  very 
young.  She  appeared  in  a  concert  at  the 
age  of  twelve,  playing  both  the  pianoforte 
and  the  violin.  She  continued  her  studies 
on  these  instruments  under  Stengel  and 
Bruckmann,  professors  at  Lemberg,  and  then 
went  to  Vienna  to  complete  her  studies 
under  Franz  Liszt.  Here,  however,  she 
was  found  to  be  the  possessor  of  an  un- 
usually fine  voice,  which  she  began  to  cul- 
tivate under  Lamperti  the  younger,  and 
she  decided  to  become  an  opera  singer. 

Her  engagement  in  Athens,  where  hei 
d6but  took  place,  was  highly  successful,  and 
she  next  appeared  at  Dresden  in  October, 
1878,  where  she  remained  until  the  spring 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Seventies.      213 

of  1880,  acquiring  a  high  reputation.  In 
June  of  that  year  she  made  her  first  appear- 
ance in  London,  under  the  management 
of  Mr.  Ernest  Gye,  and  was  so  successful 
that  she  was  engaged  for  the  two  following 
seasons. 

Of  the  impression  made  by  her  in  London, 
one  of  the  critics  wrote :  "  Her  voice  has 
been  so  carefully  tutored  that  we  cannot 
think  of  any  part  in  any  opera,  where  a 
genuine  soprano  is  essential,  that  could  pre- 
sent difficulties  to  its  possessor  not  easily 
got  over  per  salttim."  Sembrich  was  in- 
cluded with  Patti,  Gerster,  Di  Murska,  and 
Albani,  as  one  of  "the  great  lights  of  the 
day,"  in  1880. 

In  St.  Petersburg  Mile.  Sembrich  once 
gave  a  concert  which  drew  an  immense 
audience,  all  the  tickets  being  sold.  The  re- 
ceipts, which  amounted  to  over  nine  thousand 
rubles,  were  handed  over  to  the  poor  stu- 
dents' fund.     At  this  concert,  the  audience 


214  Famous  Singers. 

had  the  opportunity  to  admire  her  in  the 
capacities  of  singer,  violinist,  and  pianist. 
As  a  violinist  she  could  be  listened  to  with 
pleasure ;  as  a  pianist  she  was  considered 
worthy  of  a  place  in  the  front  rank,  partic- 
ularly as  an  excellent  interpreter  of  Chopin, 
while  as  a  singer  she  was  one  of  the  "  great 
lights  of  the  day," 

Mile.  Sembrich  married  her  former  teacher, 
Stengel,  and  has  for  many  years  made  her 
home  in  Dresden. 

She  is  an  ardent  horsewoman,  and  is  said 
to  have  called  forth  a  somewhat  doubtful 
compliment  from  the  Emperor  of  Germany, 
when  her  horse  became  frightened  during 
a  military  review,  and  she  succeeded  in  man- 
aging the  animal  with  great  skill.  "  Ma- 
dame," said  he,  "if  you  were  not  the 
greatest  singer  in  the  world,  you  would 
be  empress  of  the  circus." 

In  1897  Mile.  Sembrich  made  a  tour  of 
the   United   States,   singing  in  concerts   in 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Seventies.      215 

most  of  the  large  cities,  and  fully  main- 
taining her  high  reputation. 

In  1879,  ^t  Turin,  another  young  Amer- 
ican singer  made  her  d^but,  at  the  age  of 
eighteen.  Marie  Van  Zandt  came  of  a 
New  York  family  of  Dutch  extraction.  Her 
mother  was  a  singer  of  some  renown,  and 
had  been  a  member  of  the  Carl  Rosa  com- 
pany. Marie  was  taught  singing  by  Lam- 
perti,  and  after  her  debut  in  Turin  she  went 
to  London,  and  appeared  at  Her  Majesty's 
Theatre,  where  she  was  well  received  on 
account  of  the  freshness  of  her  voice  and 
her  unaffected  style.  The  following  year 
she  appeared  in  Paris  at  the  Opera  Comique 
as  Mignon,  and  made  such  a  success  that  she 
was  immediately  engaged  for  a  term  of  years. 

Although  her  voice  was  extremely  light,  it 
was  of  sweet  quality,  and  marvellously  flex- 
ible. Her  success  in  Paris  was  instanta- 
neous, and  she  became  the  pet  of  society, 
besides  which  she  was,  strange  to  say,  well 


2i6  Famous  Singers, 

liked  by  her  fellow  artists,  and  admired 
by  her  impresario.  Ambroise  Thomas,  the 
composer,  declared  her  to  be  the  very  im- 
personation of  Mignon,  and  she  sang  in 
that  r61e  sixty-one  nights  to  crowded  houses. 
It  is  doubtful  whether  any  singer  ever  won 
more  rapid  fame.  At  the  end  of  her  season 
she  had  impresarios  from  Sweden,  Russia, 
England,  and  America  offering  her  engage- 
ments. It  is  said,  too,  that  no  less  than  six 
composers  wrote  operas  for  her,  and  that 
Delibes's  "  Lakm6 "  was  one  of  these. 

In  November,  1884,  Rossini's  "Barbiere" 
was  revived,  and  Miss  Van  Zandt  was  cast 
for  the  leading  part.  She  was,  however, 
so  overcome  by  nervousness  that  she  lost 
her  voice,  and  was,  in  consequence,  treated 
most  shamefully  by  the  press  and  public 
of  fickle  Paris.  She  therefore  obtained 
leave  of  absence,  and  played  in  Copen- 
hagen and  other  places,  appearing  in  St. 
Petersburg  on  December  17th.      In   1885, 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Seventies.      217 

when  she  returned  to  Paris,  the  hostile 
attacks  upon  her  were  renewed,  and  M.  Car- 
valho  agreed  to  break  the  contract.  Not- 
withstanding a  riot,  which  was  carried  on 
chiefly  by  a  mob  of  about  a  thousand 
persons,  who  surrounded  the  Opera  House, 
Miss  Van  Zandt  made  a  great  success.  The 
people  in  the  house,  with  a  few  exceptions, 
gave  her  a  double  recall,  men  waved  their 
hats,  women  their  handkerchiefs,  and  there 
was  an  immense  burst  of  applause.  The 
rioters  kept  at  the  back  of  the  boxes. 

She  now  went  to  London  and  created  a 
great  impression  in  "  Lakm6,"  at  the  Gaiety 
Theatre. 

An  incident  of  her  early  career  in  Paris 
carried  with  it  a  certain  amount  of  romance. 
A  young  Frenchman  bribed  her  cabman  to 
take  her  to  a  certain  restaurant  after  the 
opera,  where  he  and  his  friends  were  wait- 
ing to  invite  her  to  supper.  Through  the 
vigilance  of  her  mother  the  plan  was  f rus- ^ 


2l8  Famous  Singers. 

trated,  but  the  story  of  the  incident  reached 
America,  and  came  to  the  ears  of  a  young 
man  who  had  been  an  early  playmate  of  the 
prima  donna,  and  whose  affection  had  grown 
stronger  as  time  passed  on.  He  went  over 
to  Paris,  and  challenged  the  young  French- 
man to  mortal  combat.  The  Frenchman 
acknowledged  the  irreproachable  character 
of  Mile.  Van  Zandt,  but  expressed  himself 
as  being  quite  at  the  service  of  the  gentle- 
man for  any  amount  of  fighting.  Details  of 
the  fight  are  not  on  file. 

Miss  Van  Zandt  was  born  in  Texas,  where 
her  father  owned  a  ranch,  and  her  childhood 
was  spent  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  free  life 
of  the  plains.  Her  family  later  removed  to 
New  York,  and  then  to  London.  She  met 
Adelina  Patti,  who  was  so  pleased  with  her 
voice  that  she  gave  her  every  encourage- 
ment, and  is  said  to  have  called  her  her 
successor.  But  there  have  been  so  many 
successors  of  Patti ! 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Seventies.      219 

A  few  years  after  Miss  Van  Zandt's  d^but, 
an  amusing  rivalry  sprang  up  between  her 
and  another  young  American  soprano,  Emma 
Nevada.  So  bitter  was  the  hostility,  that 
one  evening,  when  Miss  Van  Zandt  was 
taken  ill  suddenly  during  the  performance, 
her  friends  went  so  far  as  to  declare  that 
she  had  been  drugged  by  the  adherents  of 
Miss  Nevada.  Such  little  quarrels  are 
frequent  among  prima  donnas,  and  are 
doubtless  largely  engineered  by  the  news- 
papers, whose  appetite  for  the  sensational  is 
enormous. 

On  April  27,  1898,  at  the  mayoralty  of 
the  Champs  Elys6es  district  in  Paris,  Marie 
Van  Zandt  was  married  to  Petrovitch  de 
Tcherinoff,  a  Russian  state  councillor,  and 
professor  at  the  Imperial  Academy  of  Mos- 
cow, after  which  it  was  announced  that  she 
would  retire  from  the  stage. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

PRIMA    DONNAS    OF    THE    EIGHTIES. 

To  every  opera-goer  of  the  past  ten  years 
the  name  of  Nordica  has  become  almost  as 
famihar  as  that  of  Patti  was  during  the  last 
generation.  Nordica,  or  rather,  Giglia  Nor- 
dica, was  the  name  assumed  by  Lillian 
Norton  when  she  made  her  d^but  on  the 
operatic  stage.  She  was  born  in  Farming- 
ton,  Me.,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  giving 
great  promise  as  a  singer,  she  entered  the 
New  England  Conservatory  in  Boston,  Mass., 
where  she  studied  voice  under  John  O'Neil. 
Three  years  later  she  graduated  from  the 
Conservatory  with  honors.  She  was  remark- 
able for  her  beauty  and  amiability  as  much 
as  for  her  voice,  which  was  a  soprano  of  the 

220 


^\x^.^a(ukz/ 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Eighties.       22 1 

purest  kind.  During  her  years  of  study  at 
the  Conservatory  she  gained  much  experi- 
ence by  singing  in  church  and  in  concerts, 
and  for  a  time  she  accompanied  Samuel  R. 
Kelley's  Tableaux  d'Art  Company,  receiving 
for  her  services  as  vocalist  the  modest  com- 
pensation of  five  dollars  an  evening. 

On  leaving  the  Conservatory,  she  was 
invited  to  sing  in  concerts  in  Philadelphia, 
Baltimore,  Cleveland,  St.  Louis,  and  New 
York,  where  she  took  leading  parts  in  the  ora- 
torios of  "Elijah,"  "Creation,"  "Messiah,"  etc. 
In  1873  she  was  engaged  for  a  concert  tour 
in  England,  Scotland,  Ireland,  Belgium,  Hol- 
land, and  France,  during  which  her  reper- 
toire consisted  of  classical  music  only. 
During  this  tour  she  sang  at  the  Crystal 
Palace,  near  London,  and  at  the  Trocadero 
in  Paris.  She  then  went  to  Milan,  where 
she  studied  opera  under  Signor  Sangiovanni, 
and  made  her  operatic  d^but  at  Brescia,  in 
"Traviata." 


222  Famous  Singers. 

In  October,  1880,  she  was  engaged  at 
Genoa  for  fifteen  performances  of  "  Faust," 
in  which  she  took  the  part  of  Marguerite. 
She  next  sang  at  Novara,  where  she  took 
the  part  of  AHce  in  "  Roberto,"  and  was 
afterwards  engaged  for  thirty-five  perform- 
ances at  Aquila  in  "  Faust,"  •'  Rigoletto," 
and  "  Lucia." 

Her  next  engagement  was  in  St.  Peters- 
burg, where  she  sang  in  "  L'Africaine,"  tak- 
ing the  r61e  of  Inez,  in  "The  Marriage  of 
Figaro "  as  Cherubino,  in  "  Mignon "  as 
Filina,  in  "  Ugonotti "  as  Queen  Marguerite, 
in  "  Don  Giovanni "  as  Zerlina,  and  in  "  II 
Propheto "  as  Berta,  besides  other  operas. 
Thus  she  acquired  in  a  comparatively  short 
time,  and  by  dint  of  extremely  hard  work, 
quite  an  extensive  repertoire. 

In  1882  she  endured  the  crucial  test  of 
the  Grand  Opera  House  in  Paris,  where,  in 
spite  of  the  "  Claque,"  which  is  so  frequently 
organized  to  kill  off  new  singers,  she  made 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Eighties.       223 

a  grand  success,  and  an  engagement  for 
three  years  ensued.  Some  years  later, 
however,  in  spite  of  the  renown  which  she 
had  gained,  fickle  Paris  grew  cold,  and  critics 
were  laconic.  At  this  time  Nordica  did 
not  need  the  approval  of  Paris,  for  she  was 
well  established  among  the  great  singers  of 
the  period,  and  it  is  recognized  that,  while 
a  success  in  Paris  is  considered  an  important 
conquest,  a  failure  counts  for  little.  The 
firm  establishment  of  the  "  Claque,  "  which 
is  so  well  described  by  Mr.  Sutherland 
Edwards,  and  the  proverbial  caprice  of 
Parisian  audiences,  are  sufficient  to  take 
the  edge  off  of  defeat.  At  the  termination 
of  her  engagement  in  Paris,  in  1883,  Nordica 
married  Mr.  Frederick  A.  Gower,  who  shortly 
afterwards  was  supposed  to  have  lost  his  life 
while  attempting  to  cross  the  English  Chan- 
nel in  a  balloon.  This  matter  remained  a 
mystery  for  many  years,  for,  while  there  was 
no  doubt  that  he  started   on   the   perilous 


224  Famous  Singers. 

journey,  nothing  was  ever  after  seen  or 
heard  of  him  or  of  the  balloon.  The  ques- 
tion of  his  death,  therefore,  remained  in 
doubt,  and  when,  after  a  lapse  of  more  than  a 
dozen  years,  it  was  announced  that  Madame 
Nordica  was  about  to  enter  the  bonds  of 
matrimony  a  second  time,  she  suffered  much 
annoyance  from  the  rumors  which  were 
spread  about  to  the  effect  that  Mr.  Gower 
was  in  various  parts  of  the  world.  These 
rumors  never  proved  to  have  any  foundation, 
and,  except  for  the  annoyance,  must  have 
been  somewhat  flattering  as  evidence  of  the 
interest  taken  in  the  prima  donna  by  the 
public. 

In  1887  Nordica  sang  in  Berlin,  and  made 
a  complete  capture  of  the  Berlinese,  a  most 
unusual  achievement  for  an  American  prima 
donna.  She  also  appeared  in  London  at 
Drury  Lane,  and  by  the  sweetness  and  fresh- 
ness of  her  voice,  and  by  the  alternating 
charm    and   intensity   of    her    style   as   an 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Eighties.       225 

actress,  she  won  a  firm  and  lasting  hold  on 
the  British  public.  She  now  enjoyed  the 
most  marked  social  attentions,  and  sang  at 
a  state  concert  at  Buckingham  Palace  before 
an  audience  composed  of  princes,  princesses, 
dukes,  Indian  royalties,  etc.  The  Princess 
of  Wales  came  forward  and  thanked  her,  the 
prince  added  his  word,  and  her  triumph  was 
complete.  The  climax  was  reached,  how- 
ever, when  she  was  commanded  by  the 
queen  to  sing  in  Westminster  Abbey.  She 
sang  "  Let  the  bright  Seraphim,"  which 
selection  has  for  years  been  the  standard 
for  state  occasions.  Indeed,  it  may  be  said 
that  when  a  prima  donna  has  been  com- 
manded to  sing  '•  Let  the  bright  Seraphim," 
in  Westminster  Abbey,  she  has  achieved 
the  highest  honor  possible  in  England. 
Madame  Albani  has  exceeded  this  in  having 
had  the  honor  of  lunching  with  the  queen, 
but  this  latter  was  more  a  tribute  to  her 
worth  as  a  woman  than  as  an  artist. 


226  Famous  Singers. 

One  of  Nordica's  greatest  assumptions  has 
been  that  of  the  role  of  Elsa  in  "Lohengrin." 
She  has  the  feeling,  the  artistic  understand- 
ing, which,  combined  with  beautiful  vocal 
gifts,  brings  out  the  most  delicate  shading 
of  the  part.  It  is  doubtful  whether  any 
greater  representations  of  "  Lohengrin  "  have 
been  given  than  when  Nordica  sang  Elsa, 
and  Jean  de  Reszke  the  title  role. 

Her  success  in  such  parts  led  her  to 
devote  her  attention  more  particularly  to 
Wagnerian  r61es,  and  in  1894  she  sang  with 
great  success  at  Bayreuth. 

Nordica  has  for  several  seasons  visited  the 
United  States  as  a  member  of  the  Abbey 
and  Grau  Opera  Company,  which  contained 
such  singers  as  Emma  Eames,  Melba,  Calv6, 
Scalchi,  the  De  Reszkes,  Plancon,  and  Las- 
salle.  In  1897,  when  Abbey  and  Grau 
failed,  Madame  Nordica  was  a  creditor  to 
the  extent  of  ;^5,ooo.  When  the  affairs  of 
the  company  were  arranged,  an  agreement 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Eighties.       227 

was  reached  with  Madame  Nordica,  by  which 
she  was  to  receive  ;^  1,000  a  night.  To  her 
surprise,  she  afterwards  discovered  that 
Melba  was  to  receive  $1,200,  Calv6  1^1,400, 
Jean  de  Reszke  $1,200,  with  an  additional 
percentage  of  the  receipts.  To  add  to  her 
humiliation,  the  part  of  Brunhilde  was  given 
to  Madame  Melba,  whose  health,  by  the 
way,  collapsed  suddenly  after  her  first  per- 
formance of  that  part,  and  necessitated  a 
speedy  departure  for  Paris.  Nordica  left 
the  company,  and  in  doing  so  had  the  moral 
support  of  the  public,  for,  while  there  were 
many  complaints  about  the  excessive  salaries 
demanded  by  opera  singers,  there  seemed  to 
be  no  reason  why  Madame  Nordica  should 
not  insist  upon  her  share.  Statements  were 
also  made  to  the  effect  that  Jean  de  Reszke 
would  never  again  sing  with  Nordica. 

The  years  1896  and  1897  were  years  of 
much  financial  depression  in  the  United 
States,  a  fact  which  does  not  seem  to  have 


228  Famous  Singers. 

been  fully  appreciated  by  opera  singers,  for 
the  collapse  of  the  season  seems  to  have  given 
rise  to  considerable  bitterness  of  feeling. 

Madame  Nordica  took  unto  herself  Ma- 
dame Scalchi,  the  contralto,  and  Barron 
Berthald,  a  young  tenor,  who  in  a  night 
achieved  fame,  and  toured  the  country  giving 
concerts,  but  with  little  success.  Whatever 
truth  there  may  have  been  in  the  reported 
coolness  between  Madame  Nordica  and  Jean 
de  Reszke,  either  diplomacy  or  the  exigen- 
cies of  the  opera  singer's  hard  lot  brought 
about  an  ostensible  reconciliation ;  for  in 
London,  during  the  opera  season  of  1898, 
Jean  de  Reszke  sang  Tristan  with  Madame 
Nordica  as  Isolde,  when  a  critic  wrote,  "We 
have  so  often  been  told  that  this  music  can- 
not be  sung,  and  we  have  so  often  heard  it 
shouted  and  declaimed  by  Tristans  who 
could  not  sing,  and  by  Isoldes  without  a 
voice,  that  it  was  a  double  joy,  not  only  to 
hear  it  sung,  but  to  hear  it  superbly  sung, 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Eighties.       229 

with  all  the  confidence  and  apparent  ease 
one  is  accustomed  to  in  a  Schubert  song,  or 
a  Massenet  romance." 

Madame  Nordica  is  now  in  her  prime. 
What  new  honors  she  may  win  we  cannot 
foresee,  but  she  now  stands  high  in  the  front 
rank  of  the  great  singers  of  the  day.  In 
1 896  she  married  Mr.  Zoltan  Doehme.  The 
engagement,  which  had  been  once  broken 
off,  came  to  a  sudden  climax  while  Nordica 
was  in  Indianapolis.  Mr.  Doehme  suddenly 
appeared,  having  travelled  from  Germany, 
and  in  a  few  hours  they  were  married  with- 
out any  display  or  previous  announcement. 

Madame  Nordica  wins  many  friends  by 
frank,  engaging  cordiality  of  manner,  while 
her  impulsive  nature  and  enthusiasm  help 
her  over  many  difficulties.  One  may  im- 
agine the  consternation  caused  in  the  Boston 
Symphony  Orchestra  by  her  startling  decla- 
ration, at  a  rehearsal,  that  they  were  like  a 
Kalamazoo  band.     Perhaps  the  sore  is  still 


230  Famous  Singers. 

open,  but  her  winning  manners  will  close  it 
the  next  time  that  she  comes  among  them. 

One  of  the  most  brilliant  singers  among 
the  number  of  Americans  who  have,  during 
the  latter  half  of  this  century,  won  distinc- 
tion on  the  operatic  stage,  is  Emma  Nevada. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  a  physician  named 
William  Wallace  Wixom,  of  Nevada  City,  Cal. 

As  a  child  she  was  so  musical  that  she 
sang  in  public  when  only  three  years  old. 
Her  mother  died  when  she  was  quite  young, 
and  she  received  her  education  at  a  semi- 
nary in  Oakland,  California.  She  was  now 
consumed  by  a  desire  to  go  to  Europe  and 
make  a  study  of  voice,  and  she  became  one 
of  a  party  of  girls  under  the  care  of  a  Doc- 
tor Eberl,  who  was  to  escort  them  and  keep 
them  under  his  protection  in  Berlin.  When 
the  vessel  anchored  in  the  Elbe,  the  passen- 
gers were  transferred  to  a  smaller  steamer 
to  be  landed.  Dr.  Eberl  went  on  board  the 
little  steamer  with  the  rest,  walked  into  the 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Eighties.       231 

cabin  and  died.  This  was  a  terrible  calam- 
ity for  the  party  under  his  care,  but  Emma 
Wixom  succeeded  in  finding  her  way  to  Ber- 
lin, where  she  sought  advice  with  regard  to 
her  voice,  and  was  recommended  to  go  to 
Marchesi  at  Vienna. 

It  is  said  that  on  reaching  Vienna  she 
found  her  funds  exhausted,  but  she  sought 
Madame  Marchesi  and  told  her  her  circum- 
stances. Marchesi  was  so  much  captivated  by 
her  voice  and  manners  that  she  offered  her  a 
home  and  took  care  of  her  until  her  d^but. 

Through  Marchesi's  influence  an  engage- 
ment was  secured  for  her  in  London,  where 
she  made  her  d6but  in  "  Sonnambula "  in 
1880.  On  making  her  appearance  in  public, 
Miss  Wixom  followed  the  custom  of  assum- 
ing the  name  of  her  native  place,  and  so 
became  Emma  Nevada.  Concerning  her 
debut  a  critic  of  the  time  wrote :  "  Maple- 
son  has  brought  a  new  prima  donna.  Mile. 
Nevada,   who   is   gifted   with   a  very   light 


232  Famous  Singers. 

voice,  which  is,  however,  extremely  flexible, 
and  is  used  very  effectively  in  the  upper 
registers.  The  great  merits  of  her  voice  lie 
in  her  staccato  effects,  chromatic  runs, — 
which  she  gives  with  great  purity,  —  and 
notes  in  altissimo.  The  defects  are  exces- 
sive lightness  of  tone,  lack  of  good  lower 
notes,  and  a  rather  imperfect  trill.  She  won 
many  friends  by  her  refined  manners  and 
culture,  and  if  not  a  great  singer  she  is 
certainly  an  agreeable  one." 

Another  admirer  tells  us  about  a  perform- 
ance of  "  Lucia."  In  the  roulade  duet 
between  the  flute  and  the  voice,  after 
the  competition  was  ended  and  her  full, 
firm  shake,  as  eflFortless  as  the  simplest 
strain,  was  about  half  over,  she  ran  off  the 
stage,  the  shake  continuing  just  as  perfect 
all  the  way,  and  as  she  disappeared  left  a 
final  note  away  up  among  the  clouds.  But 
with  all  this  brilliant  execution  she  delighted 
as  much  by  her  sustained  notes,  which  were 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Eighties.       233 

of  beautiful,  flutelike  quality.  She  also  won 
the  affection  and  respect  of  all  her  associa- 
ates,  by  her  kindly  ways. 

A  staccato  polka  was  written  for  Mile. 
Nevada,  with  a  view  to  exhibiting  her  voice, 
and  her  rendering  of  it  was  considered  a 
marvellous  exhibition  of  vocal  technique. 

Although  her  voice  was  criticised  as  being 
too  light  for  grand  opera,  Mile.  Nevada  was 
engaged  at  once  to  sing  in  Italy,  after  which 
she  sang  in  1883  at  the  Opera  Comique  in 
Paris,  and  has  had  an  exceptionally  success- 
ful career,  both  in  Europe  and  America, 
where,  in  1885,  she  was  warmly  welcomed. 
In  April,  1898,  Emma  Nevada  sang  in  Paris 
after  a  tour  through  Holland,  showing  no 
diminution  of  her  artistic  powers. 

A  little  anecdote  was  told  concerning  a 
performance  of  "  Lucia "  in  Paris,  which 
tends  to  show  the  kindly  disposition  of  the 
young  prima  donna.  She  was,  in  the  mad 
scene,  accompanied  in  a  most  delicious  roan- 


234  Famous  Singers. 

ner  by  the  flutist  in  the  orchestra.     One  was 
often  puzzled  during  the  celebrated  duet  to 
determine  which  were  the  notes  of  the  flute 
and  which  were  those  of  the  singer.     Now 
and  then  a  pathetic  vibration  would  reveal 
the  human  voice  and  cause  it  to  rise  trium- 
phant above  the  instrument.      She  taxed  the 
skill  of  the  musician  to  the  uttermost  to  fol- 
low her  through  the  intricate  mazes  of  sound. 
When,  through  nervousness,  she  for  a  mo- 
ment  forgot    the   words    of   her   song,    the 
humble  musician    came   to   her  rescue  and 
improvised    a    few    sparkling    variations    to 
enable  her  to  regain  her  breath  and   recol- 
lect the  lost  phrases.     At  the  end  of  the 
duet,  two  powdered  footmen  advanced  from 
the  wings  with  a  gigantic  basket  of  flowers 
which  had  been  sent  to  her  from  Rome  by 
some  friends.      She  selected  the  finest  rose, 
and,  advancing  to  the  footlights,  handed  it  to 
the  leader  of  the  orchestra  to  be  passed  on 
to  the  flute  player.     The  action  was  taken 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Eighties.       235 

with  much  grace  and  spontaneity,  and 
brought  down  a  storm  of  applause,  while  the 
poor  flutist,  unaccustomed  to  the  recognition 
of  his  talent,  was  overcome  with  joy  at  such 
a  graceful  acknowledgment. 

One  of  her  trials  took  place  when  the 
Edgardo  (Gayarr6),  who  more  than  simulated 
jealous  rage,  knocked  her  about  in  good  ear- 
nest. His  violence  made  her  forget  every- 
thing but  her  part,  and  she  had  no  chance 
to  think  of  the  public  while  trying  to  keep 
her  wrists  out  of  his  reach. 

In  1884  Mile.  Nevada  had  a  disagreement 
with  M.  Carvalho  about  a  costume.  He 
offered  to  cancel  her  contract,  and  she  joy- 
fully accepted  the  offer,  after  which  they 
both  had  ample  time  to  repent  of  their  hasty 
action.  The  following  year  she  married  Doc- 
tor Raymond  Palmer,  a  surgeon  practising 
in  the  west  of  England,  a  big,  bluff,  hand- 
some Englishman.  She  was  small,  slight, 
and  graceful 


236  Famous  Singers. 

The  marriage,  which  took  place  in  Paris, 
in  October,  1885,  was  a  great  social  event 
in  the  American  colony  in  Paris.  Speeches 
were  made  by  Consul-General  Walker  and 
others,  Ambroise  Thomas,  the  composer, 
was  there,  and  called  her  "  Mignon,  my  dear 
interpreter,"  on  which  she  rose  from  her 
seat,  went  to  him,  put  her  arms  around  his 
neck,  and  kissed  him.  The  wedding  pres- 
ents were  many  and  valuable,  and  the 
descriptions  thereof  filled  many  columns  of 
the  newspapers.  Never  before  had  an  Amer- 
ican prima  donna  been  the  centre  of  so  much 
excitement. 

After  a  short  honeymoon,  a  concert  tour 
in  the  United -States  was  undertaken.  Ma- 
dame Nevada  did  not  retire  from  the  stage, 
but  after  fifteen  years  she  is  still  as  popular 
as  ever,  though  her  voice  is  too  light  to  be 
effective  in  any  of  the  grand  operas  of 
modem  times. 

Unquestionably  the  greatest  artist  of  her 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Eighties.       237 

school  on  the  opera  stage  at  the  present  day 
is  Emma  Calve,  whose  proper  name  is  Emma 
Roquer,  She  was  born  in  1866,  at  Decaze- 
ville  in  the  Aveyron,  her  father  being  a  civil 
engineer,  and  a  member  of  a  good  Spanish 
family.  He  unfortunately  died  when  his 
daughter  Emma  was  sixteen  years  of  age, 
and  left  his  family  in  poor  circumstances. 
Emma,  who  was  the  eldest  child,  was 
brought  up  in  a  convent,  the  quiet  life  of 
which  was  very  attractive  to  her,  but  she 
was  prevented  from  taking  the  veil  because 
her  mother  needed  her  help  at  home. 

A  gentleman  from  Paris,  who  heard  her 
sing  one  day  in  the  convent  chapel,  urged 
her  mother  to  send  her  to  Paris  for  musical 
training,  and  much  against  her  own  wishes 
the  young  singer  began  the  course  of  train- 
ing which  led  to  her  appearance  on  the 
operatic  stage. 

Life  has  not  been  all  sunshine  for  Emma 
Calv^.     She   has   acquired    her   art   in   the 


238  Famous  Singers. 

school  of  adversity.  Her  early  stage  experi- 
ences were  not  highly  successful,  though  she 
was  reengaged.  Her  debut  was  made  at 
Brussels  at  the  Theatre  de  Monnaie,  as 
Marguerite  in  "Faust,"  in  188 1.  During 
this  season  she  received  a  salary  of  a  hun- 
dred and  forty  dollars  a  month,  which  was 
increased  the  next  year  to  two  hundred  and 
forty.  In  1884  she  went  to  Paris,  where 
she  created  the  leading  part  in  "Aben 
Hamet,"  by  Dubois,  at  the  Theatre  Italien, 
and  was  decidedly  successful. 

Her  teachers  up  to  this  time  had  been 
a  tenor  named  Puget,  and  Laborde,  but  she 
now  began  to  study  under  Madame  Mar- 
ch esi,  and  then  followed  a  successful  tour 
in  Italy,  during  which  she  gained  much  by 
association  with  the  Italian  people,  and  culti- 
vated her  dramatic  instincts.  Here  she  saw 
Eleanora  Duse,  the  great  actress,  whose 
impersonations  made  a  great  impression  on 
the  young  singer.     Calv6's  impassioned  act- 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Eighties.       239 

ing,  her  magnetic  personality,  and  beautiful 
voice,  won  for  her  the  greatest  success  at 
La  Scala.  In  1889  she  returned  to  Paris, 
and  continued  her  career  of  hard  work  and 
success,  but  the  day  of  her  greatness  had 
not  yet  come. 

In  1891  she  created  the  part  of  Suzel  in 
"L'Amico  Fritz,"  at  Rome,  an  event  which 
added  greatly  to  her  renown,  and  when 
"  Cavalleria  Rusticana "  was  given  in  Paris 
for  the  first  time  in  1892,  Calv6  was  selected 
as  the  most  fitting  interpreter  of  the  part  of 
Santuzza.  Her  success  in  this  part  was 
something  phenomenal,  and  was  gained  after 
much  study  of  the  story,  the  close  inter- 
course she  had  made  with  the  Italian  people, 
and  by  the  aid  of  some  suggestions  from 
Mascagni,  the  composer. 

Her  success  as  Santuzza  was  repeated  in 
London,  and,  after  ten  years  of  unremitting 
labor,  Calv^  found  herself  acknowledged  as 
a  great  artist.     Notwithstanding  the  excel- 


240  Famous  Singers. 

lent  quality  of  her  voice,  and  her  mastery 
of  technique,  her  victories  have  been  gained 
by  her  dramatic  impulses. 

Her  next  triumph  was  achieved  in  the 
character  of  Carmen.  In  order  to  study  for 
this  part  she  went  to  Spain,  where  she 
learned  the  Spanish  dances,  associated  with 
the  Spanish  people,  and  learned  as  much  as 
possible  of  the  character  of  the  Spanish 
peasant. 

In  1894  she  appeared  at  the  Opera  Co- 
mique  in  Paris,  as  Carmen.  Her  triumph  has 
become  a  matter  of  history.  It  was  one  of 
the  greatest  events  in  the  annals  of  the  lyric 
stage.  Patti  had  played  Carmen,  Minnie 
Hauk  had  played  Carmen,  Madame  Galli- 
Mari6  had  played  Carmen,  and  all  had 
achieved  success  in  the  part ;  but  Calv6 
was  Carmen.  Her  conception  of  the  char- 
acter was  a  revelation.  Her  fascinating  ges- 
tures, her  complete  abandon,  the  grace  of 
her  dances,  her  dazzling  beauty,  all  combined 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Eighties.       241 

to  make  her  Carmen  one  of  the  most  wonder- 
ful impersonations  ever  given  in  opera.  She 
has  been  criticised  as  uncertain,  as  giving 
different  interpretations  at  different  times, 
but  the  fact  remains  that  Calve  stands  pre- 
eminent in  the  world  of  operatic  art.  Her 
swinging,  graceful  walk,  her  fascinating  half 
Oriental  dances,  her  gestures,  her  infectious, 
reckless  mirth,  all  help  to  make  up  the  daz- 
zling impersonation  with  which  her  name  is 
associated. 

Of  Calvd's  voice  little  has  been  said, 
because,  in  the  perfection  of  her  art,  the 
voice  is  not  obtrusive.  It  is  light  and 
sympathetic,  rich  in  quality,  and  she  never 
forces  it.  She  frequently  misses  what  many 
singers  would  seize  as  a  vocal  opportunity, 
for  the  sake  of  dramatic  effect,  and  yet  her 
singing  has  a  marvellous  charm.  The  "  Ha- 
vanaise,"  as  sung  by  Calv^  is  something  to 
remember  for  a  lifetime. 

Calv^  has  a  superb,  lithe  form,  and  her 


242  Famous  Singers. 

large,  dark  eyes  and  delicately  modelled 
features  give  her  a  charming  appearance. 
She  is  frank,  cordial,  young-spirited,  easy- 
going, and  is  intensely  admired,  both  by  her 
associates  at  the  theatre,  and  in  the  drawing- 
room.  She  is  a  curious  combination  of  the 
developed  woman  and  the  simple  girl.  No 
one  can  prevent  her  from  saying  and  doing 
as  she  pleases,  but  her  impulses  are  seldom 
unkind.  She  believes  thoroughly  in  spirit- 
ualism, theosophy,  and  astrology.  When- 
ever she  sings,  she  carries  with  her  an 
amulet  from  Hindostan,  and  nothing  can 
induce  her  to  appear  without  it. 

Her  first  visit  to  America  was  in  the  sea- 
son of  1893-94,  during  which  she  appeared 
as  Mignon,  in  Boston,  for  the  first  time  in 
any  part  of  the  world.  Her  reception  during 
that  tour  was  splendid.  She  did  not  again 
visit  America  until  the  season  of  1895-96, 
but  she  returned  the  following  season,  when 
her  appearance  as  Marguerite  in  "Faust" 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Eighties.       243 

was  one  of  the  leading  events  of  the  season. 
During  her  absence  she  had  improved  won- 
derfully in  vocal  form  and  appearance,  and 
the  critics  gave  her  unstinted  praise.  Her 
impersonation  of  Carmen  again  created  a 
furore,  and,  notwithstanding  the  superb  array 
of  talent  exhibited  during  those  seasons, 
"  Calv^  "  was,  above  all,  the  subject  of  inter- 
est to  opera  goers. 

She  makes  her  home  in  Paris,  but  her 
vacations  are  spent  at  a  picturesque  little 
place  called  Chateau  Cambrieres,  situated  in 
the  shadow  of  the  Pyrenees.  Calv6  is  not 
yet  at  her  prime,  and  with  genius  such  as 
she  possesses  it  is  likely  that  she  will  eclipse 
the  achievements  of  the  greatest  dramatic 
singers  of  the  past. 

Of  the  numerous  successors  of  Patti, 
Madame  Melba  seems  to  have  more  fully 
met  the  requirements  than  any  other.  In 
many  respects  she  has  exceeded  them,  for 
her  voice  is  fuller  and  more  powerful  than 


244  Famous  Singers. 

Patti's  ever  was,  but  she  has  the  same  easy 
vocalization  and  marvellous  spontaneity  that 
constituted  the  great  charm  in  Patti's  singing. 

Melba  is  the  daughter  of  a  wealthy  citizen 
of  Melbourne  in  Australia,  and  in  that  city, 
from  which  she  takes  her  stage  name,  Nellie 
Mitchell  was  born  in  1865.  There  was  much 
musical  talent  in  the  family,  but  it  was  exer- 
cised for  their  own  enjoyment  only,  for 
they  were  of  Scotch  Presbyterian  descent, 
and  the  idea  of  the  stage  was  objectionable 
to  them.  For  this  reason,  while  their  daugh- 
ter was  given  every  advantage  in  the  study 
of  the  pianoforte,  violin,  and  harp,  her  voice 
was  not  cultivated.  Singing  was  neverthe- 
less her  chief  delight,  and  her  great  desire 
was  to  take  lessons. 

In  1883  Miss  Mitchell  married  a  Captain 
Armstrong,  but  the  marriage  was  not  a 
happy  one,  and  when  her  father,  shortly 
afterwards,  was  appointed  commissioner  from 
Australia  to  the  Colonial  exhibition  in  Lon- 


'^tZ/yO^  (!.yJl/?.M^l/ 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Eighties.       245 

don,  she  went  there  with  him,  and  soon 
found  herself  able  to  enter  upon  study  for 
a  musical  career. 

She  went  to  Paris,  where  at  one  of  Mar- 
chesi's  receptions  she  sang  and  was  heard 
by  the  manager  of  the  Brussels  opera  house, 
who  offered  her  an  engagement,  and,  after 
only  nine  months'  training,  she  made  her 
d^but.  She  had  been  previously  offered  a 
five  years'  engagement  by  Maurice  Strakosch, 
but  his  death  prevented  the  carrying  out  of 
the  contract. 

It  was  in  1887  that  she  made  her  first 
appearance  in  Brussels,  and  the  following 
year  her  Parisian  debut  was  successfully 
accomplished.  She  was  rapturously  received, 
and  at  once  found  herself  classed  among  the 
great  singers  of  the  century.  Her  career  in 
Europe  and  in  America  was  a  succession  of 
triumphs.  Her  voice  is  rich,  sympathetic, 
and  powerful.  In  flexibility  it  may  be  com- 
pared with  that  of  Patti,  and  her  trills  and 


246  Famous  Singers. 

cadenzas  are  accomplished  with  the  ease  and 
brilliancy  that  belong  to  naturally  gifted 
singers. 

Perhaps  the  most  severe  ordeal  through 
which  she  ever  had  to  pass  was  in  1893, 
when  she  made  her  d^but  in  Milan.  The 
Milanese  are  very  jealous  of  their  independ- 
ence of  opinion,  and  while  they  will  accept 
leniently  a  beginner,  the  artist  whose  reputa- 
tion has  been  gained  out  of  Italy  is  likely  to 
fare  badly  at  their  hands.  When  it  was 
announced  that  Melba  was  to  sing  at  Milan, 
a  feeling  hostile  to  her  at  once  made  itself 
manifest.  When  Melba  arrived,  the  musi- 
cians and  critics  did  their  best  to  keep  out  of 
the  way  and  avqid  an  introduction.  Stories 
went  forth,  when  rehearsals  began,  that  her 
voice  was  like  a  steam  whistle,  and  every- 
thing that  could  contribute  towards  a  failure 
was  done.  Madame  Melba's  friends  endeav- 
ored to  keep  all  this  from  her,  and  for  a  time 
they  succeeded,  but  now  she  began  to  be 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Eighties.       247 

pestered  with  anonymous  letters  making 
threats  of  various  kinds.  This  so  unnerved 
the  prima  donna  that  it  was  found  advisable 
to  acquaint  the  prefect  of  the  police  with 
the  details  of  the  matter,  and  the  intrigue 
was  stopped.  On  the  eventful  evening  the 
house  was  packed,  and  there  was  an  air  of 
hostile  expectancy.  The  opera  was  "Lucia." 
The  singer  appeared  amidst  silence  which 
was  interrupted  now  and  then  by  hissing 
sounds.  Hardly  had  her  first  notes  been 
heard  when  it  was  evident  that  a  change  of 
opinion  had  taken  place  in  the  audience,  and 
the  ovation  which  she  received  after  the  mad 
scene  was  tremendous.  The  press  extolled 
her  incomparable  singing,  and  her  victory 
was  complete. 

Melba  is  not  a  great  actress ;  she  holds 
her  audience  entranced  with  her  marvellous 
vocalization,  and  her  greatest  triumphs  have 
always  been  in  those  operas  which  make  the 
smallest  demands  upon  the  dramatic  powers 


248  Famous  Singers. 

of  the  singer.  Adelina  Patti  could  not  sing 
in  Wagnerian  opera,  and  was  too  wise  to 
make  the  attempt.  Melba,  advised  by  her 
friends,  once  appeared  as  Brunhilde  and  was 
not  a  success,  and  she  must  rest  content 
with  being  considered  the  greatest  vocalist 
of  the  day. 

Madame  Melba  has  visited  America  several 
times,  and  during  the  seasons  of  1 895-96  and 
1 896-97  was  under  the  management  of  Abbey 
and  Grau,  After  the  collapse  of  that  com- 
pany she  became  the  star  of  a  small  opera 
company  travelling  as  far  as  the  Pacific 
coast.  She  makes  her  home  in  Paris,  where 
she  spends  a  portion  of  each  year  with  her 
son.  She  is  simple  and  frank  in  manner, 
generous  by  nature,  and  not  given  to  malice 
or  jealousy. 

California  added  a  star  to  the  operatic 
firmament  in  Sybil  Sanderson,  who  made 
her  d6but  in  1888,  under  an  assumed  name, 
at  The  Hague,  in  "  Manon."     She  was  sue- 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Eighties.       249 

cessful,  and  in  a  few  months  came  out  at  the 
Opera  Comique  in  Paris,  creating  the  role  of 
Esclarmonde,  which  Massenet  had  written 
for  her,  and  in  which  she  had  the  advantage 
of  the  composer's  instruction. 

Probably  no  opera  singer  has  ever  had 
greater  advantages  in  the  preparation  for  the 
stage  than  those  which  Miss  Sanderson 
enjoyed.  She  is  the  daughter  of  a  lawyer 
of  high  repute,  who  became  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Bench,  and  later  chief  counsellor 
of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad.  She  was 
taken  by  her  mother,  at  an  early  age,  to 
Paris,  where  she  and  her  sisters  received  the 
best  education  possible.  She  desired  to 
become  a  prima  donna,  and  had  every  assist- 
ance that  the  wealth  of  her  parents  could 
provide. 

Her  voice  is  of  the  kind  for  which  Amer- 
ican prima  donnas  have  become  celebrated, 
light,  pure,  and  flexible.  Its  surpassing 
excellence  lies  in  the  upper  register,  her  G 


250  Famous  Singers. 

in  alt  being  in  itself  a  phenomenal  produc- 
tion. Miss  Sanderson  is  a  finished  actress, 
having  received  the  most  careful  training  at 
the  hands  of  Massenet,  who  wrote  also 
"  Thais  "  for  her.  Saint-Saens  entrusted  to 
her  the  creation  of  the  title  r61e  of  "  Phryne," 
and,  in  token  of  his  delight  at  her  perform- 
ance, presented  her  with  a  valuable  necklace. 
Miss  Sanderson  became  very  popular  in 
Paris  and  in  St.  Petersburg,  but  met  with 
less  favor  in  London  and  New  York.  Once 
when  she  sang  in  London,  Van  Dyck  was 
the  tenor.  At  the  rehearsal  he  sang  sotto 
voce  in  order  to  save  himself,  and  he  sup- 
posed that  she  was  doing  likewise.  In  the 
evening,  at  the  performance,  —  the  opera  was 
"Manon,"  which  Miss  Sanderson  sang  in 
Europe  two  hundred  and  fifty  times,  —  she 
was  overwhelmed  by  the  power  of  his  voice. 
Van  Dyck,  hearing  her  small,  clear  tones, 
and  thinking  that  she  was  nervous,  came 
near  to  offer  encouragement,  and  urged  her 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Eighties.       251 

to  "let  out  your  voice."  "This  is  all  the 
voice  I  have,"  she  replied,  and  he,  still  think- 
ing she  needed  encouragement,  sang  all  the 
louder.  Her  great  personal  charm  makes  it- 
self felt  across  the  footlights,  and  while  she 
was  heavily  handicapped  in  having  to  sing 
with  such  a  tremendous  tenor,  she  was  yet 
able  to  captivate  the  audience  by  her  sin- 
cerity. 

Ella  Russell,  who  made  her  debut  in 
Provo,  Italy,  is  a  native  of  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
Her  voice  is  large,  rich,  and  even,  she  has 
an  imposing  stage  presence  and  much  beauty 
and  dignity.  She  travelled  in  Europe  with 
success,  and  finally  made  her  appearance  at 
Covent  Garden  in  1885. 

Another  American  debutante  of  1885  was 
Marie  Engle,  a  native  of  Chicago,  who  at 
present  is  one  of  the  opera  company  at 
Covent  Garden.  She  has  a  light  voice,  high 
and  flexible.  Her  first  appearance  was  at 
the  Academy  of   Music   in  New  York,   in 


252  Famous  Singers. 

a  concert  given  by  pupils,  assisted  by  mem- 
bers of  the  Mapleson  Opera  Company.  Colo- 
nel Mapleson  made  her  an  oifer  which  was 
accepted,  and  she  went  with  his  company  to 
San  Francisco,  where  she  made  her  d^but, 
and  afterwards  to  London,  where  she  has 
appeared  for  several  seasons. 

She  has  so  far  followed  the  conventional 
domestic  life  of  the  prima  donna  as  to  marry 
and  secure  a  divorce.  Her  husband  was  Gus- 
tav  Amburg,  a  theatrical  manager,  whom  she 
married  in  1889.  Her  life  with  him  was  not 
happy,  and  he  continually  ill-treated  her.  At 
last  she  found  that  he  had  a  wife  living  in 
Germany,  and  she  secured  her  divorce  in 
1896. 

In  the  Abbey  and  Grau  opera  company 
of  1 894  a  singer  who  attracted  considerable 
attention  was  Madame  Sigrid  Arnoldson. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  a  Swedish  tenor 
and  was  born  in  Stockholm.  She  made  her 
d^but  in  grand  opera  in  London,  in  1887,  but 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Eighties,       253 

had  already  become  well  known  at  Stock- 
holm, where,  in  1885,  so  great  was  the  desire 
to  hear  her  that  2,000  people  stood  in  line 
all  night  in  order  to  buy  tickets.  No  singer 
had  been  so  popular  since  the  days  of  Jenny 
Lind  and  Nilsson,  She  sang  "  Mignon,"  and 
at  the  conclusion  of  the  performance  she  was 
presented  by  King  Oscar  with  a  decoration 
exactly  like  those  given  to  Lind  and  Nilsson. 
Madame  Arnoldson  is  petite,  piquant  and 
picturesque  on  the  stage,  and  has  dark 
hair  and  eyes.  She  is  an  excellent  linguist, 
speaking  four  languages. 

When  she  was  a  small  child  she  would 
sing  like  a  bird  while  alone,  but  could  never 
be  induced  to  sing  before  strangers.  Her 
father  taught  her  until  she  was  old  enough 
to  determine  whether  she  would  really  have 
a  fine  voice.  Then  she  became  a  pupil  of 
Maurice  Strakosch,  whose  nephew,  Robert 
Fischoff,  she  married. 
The  appearance   of   a  new   singer  from 


2$4  Famous  Singers. 

America  is  now  looked  upon  as  nothing 
unusual,  for  the  list  of  those  who  have 
acquired  distinction  is  already  long.  Clara 
Louise  Kellogg,  Annie  Louise  Gary,  Ade- 
laide Phillips,  Marie  Litta,  Minnie  Hauk, 
Marie  Van  Zandt,  Alwina  Valleria,  Emma 
Nevada,  Marie  Engle,  Sybil  Sanderson,  Lil- 
lian Nordica,  —  yes,  the  list  might  easily  be 
increased  even  without  enumerating  the  large 
number  of  tenors  and  basses.  The  year 
1890  witnessed  the  debut  of  one  who  is 
already  acknowledged  as  a  great  artist,  and 
who  adds  to  her  laurels  each  season.  One 
who,  to  a  glorious  voice  and  attractive  per- 
sonality, adds  dramatic  power  and  intelli- 
gence of  a  high  order. 

Emma  Eames  was  bom  in  China,  but  at 
a  very  early  age  was  brought  by  her  mother 
to  Boston,  where  she  received  her  education. 
Mrs.  Eames  was  a  highly  accomplished  musi- 
cian, and  was  her  daughter's  earliest  music 
teacher.     As  her  voice  developed,  she  began 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Eighties.       255 

to  sing  in  church  choirs  and  in  concerts, 
where  the  beauty  of  her  singing  attracted  a 
good  deal  of  attention.  After  she  went  to 
Paris,  she  experienced  considerable  difficulty 
in  obtaining  an  engagement.  The  road  to 
the  opera  is  full  of  intrigue  and  machina- 
tion. Miss  Eames  made  her  way  to  the 
front  by  sheer  talent.  She  was  first  engaged 
to  sing  at  the  Opera  Comique,  but,  for 
some  reason  best  known  to  itself,  the  man- 
agement repented  of  having  opened  its 
doors  to  an  unknown  singer,  and  gave  her 
no  part.  She  therefore  asked  that  her  con- 
tract might  be  annulled,  and  her  request 
was  granted. 

A  pure,  fresh  voice,  flexible  and  express- 
ive, remarkably  good  intonation,  and  an 
attractive  personality,  were  the  qualities 
with  which  Miss  Eames  ruled  the  stage. 
Her  fault  at  first  was  a  degree  of  calmness 
in  the  more  vehement  scenes.  This  was 
noticed  particularly  in  "  Faust,"  and  yet  her 


256  Famous  Singers. 

interpretation  of  the  role  of  Marguerite  is 
considered  exceptionally  fine. 

In  1 89 1  she  accomplished  the  difficult  feat 
of  singing  the  part  of  Elsa  in  "  Lohengrin," 
after  only  one  rehearsal,  but  her  greatest 
assumption  is  that  of  Elizabeth  in  "  Tann- 
hauser,"  in  which  she  appeared  in  1895,  and 
gained  a  reputation  for  originality  of  concep- 
tion which  the  greatest  Wagnerian  singers 
had  never  developed. 

During  the  season  of  1 898  in  London  she 
gained  new  laurels.  In  1891  Miss  Eames 
caused  a  sensation  by  marrying  Mr,  Julian 
Wetmore  Story,  a  young  artist  of  much 
promise.  The  circumstances  of  the  mar- 
riage were  rather  romantic,  and  gave  rise 
at  the  time  to  a  good  deal  of  newspaper 
comment.  Miss  Eames,  whose  mother  was 
somewhat  opposed  to  her  marriage,  eluded 
the  vigilance  of  her  natural  protector,  and 
was  quietly  married  in  the  old  church  at 
Bray,  which  dates  back   1,000  years.     This 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Eighties.       257 

marriage  has  turned  out  very  happily.  Mr. 
Story  has  acquired  a  high  reputation  as  an 
artist,  and  by  no  means  occupies  the  con- 
ventional position  of  "prima  donna's  hus- 
band," but  has  an  individuality  of  his  own. 
Their  home  in  Paris  is  the  centre  of  musical 
and  artistic  society,  and  Madame  Eames- 
Story  has  become  a  kind  of  deity  amongsi 
American  students  in  Paris. 

Only  once  have  there  been  reports  circu- 
lated attributing  to  Madame  Eames  the  feel- 
ings of  jealousy  which  seem  to  permeate  the 
prima  donna  sisterhood.  In  Boston  there 
was  supposed  to  have  been  a  coolness  be- 
tween Madame  Eames  and  Calve,  and  the 
latter  lady,  under  the  rack  of  the  newspaper 
reporter,  made  some  disagreeable  remarks. 
Whatever  cause  there  may  have  been,  Ma- 
dame Eames  met  Madame  Calv6  afterwards 
in  Paris,  and  offered  her  hand  frankly,  as  if 
nothing  had  happened,  and  it  was  accepted 
in  the  same  generous  manner. 


258  Famous  Singers. 

Madame  Eames  has  several  times  been 
obliged  in  her  own  interests  to  maintain  an 
independent  position  in  dealing  with  man- 
agers, and  when,  after  her  great  American 
successes,  the  Abbey,  Schoeffel,  and  Grau 
Company  would  not  offer  her  what  she  con- 
sidered just  terms,  she  would  not  retreat 
from  the  stand  which  she  had  taken,  and 
the  company  decided  to  punish  her  by 
letting  her  alone.  The  result  was,  that 
Madame  Eames  reaped  a  golden  harvest 
in  Europe,  and  built  up  a  reputation  so 
great  that  her  name  is  now  mentioned  as 
one  of  the  four  great  sopranos,  —  Melba, 
Calv6,  Nordica,  and  Eames. 

With  this  slight  sketch  of  an  interesting 
career  we  must  be  content,  for  a  word  must 
be  added  about  Mile.  Zelie  de  Lussan,  who 
made  herself  popular  to  Americans  during 
her  connection  with  the  Boston  Ideal  Opera 
Company,  from  1885-88,  when  she  secured 
an  engagement   in    London,  and  is  rapidly 


&>/m//na/  <^^ 


l^^n/zna/  (Oyayj^iiSJ. 


Prima  Donnas  of  the  Eighties.       259 

building  a  great  reputation.  Her  great  part 
is  Carmen,  and  in  this  and  Mignon  she  has 
delighted  the  Parisians.  She  is  piquant  and 
brilliant,  and  has  the  faculty  of  charming 
the  audience  by  her  grace  and  personal 
magnetism.  Mile,  de  Lussan  was  born  in 
New  York  of  French  parents,  and  received 
her  musical  education  from  her  mother,  who 
was  once  a  well-known  singer. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

TENORS    AND    BARITONES. 

The  operatic  tenor  is  frequently  as  much 
of  a  trial  to  the  impresario  as  the  soprano. 
Brignoli  would  feel  hurt  unless  he  received 
what  he  considered  the  proper  amount  of 
applause,  and  then  he  would  have  a  sore 
throat,  and  be  unable  to  sing.  Ravelli  had 
a  mortal  hatred  of  Minnie  Hauk,  because 
she  once  choked  his  high  B  flat  with  a  too 
comprehensive  embrace,  and  his  expression 
of  rage,  being  understood  by  the  audience 
as  a  tremendous  burst  of  dramatic  enthusi- 
asm, was,  in  consequence,  loudly  applauded. 
Nicolini,  in  behalf  of  Patti,  once  went  out 
and  measured  the  letters  on  a  poster.  It 
had  been  agreed  that  Patti's  name  was  to 
260 


Tenors  and  Baritones.  a6t 

be  in  letters  half  as  big  again  as  those  used 
for  any  other  singer.  It  was  discovered  that 
the  name  of  Nevada,  who  was  also  a  member 
of  the  company,  was  a  fraction  over  the 
stipulated  size,  and  all  the  posters  had  to 
be  cut  in  such  a  way  that  a  strip  was  taken 
out  of  Nevada's  name,  and  the  middle  dash 
of  the  E  and  of  the  A's  was  amputated. 

Some  tenors  have  travelled  with  numerous 
retainers,  who  always  occupied  seats  at  the 
theatre  for  the  purpose  of  directing  the  ap- 
plause, but  nothing  of  the  kind  has  ever 
been  heard  of  with  a  contralto  or  basso. 

Ernest  Nicolini,  who  made  his  d^but  in 
1855,  was  for  some  time  considered  the  best 
French  tenor  on  the  stage,  but  he  is  better 
known  as  Madame  Patti's  husband  than  as  a 
singer.     Nicolini  died  in  January,  1 898. 

Fancelli  and  Masini  were  tenors  of  merit, 
with  beautiful  voices ;  also  Brignoli,  who  for 
twenty  years  lived  in  America.  Fancelli  was 
a  very  ignorant  man,  scarcely  able  to  read 


262  Famous  Singers. 

or  write.  According  to  Mapleson,  he  once 
attempted  to  write  his  name  in  the  album 
of  the  Liverpool  Philharmonic  Society,  with 
deplorable  results.  He  wished  to  write 
"  Fancelli,  Primo  Tenore  Assoluto,"  but  after 
great  efforts,  which  resulted  in  overturning 
the  ink-bottle,  the  signature  appeared  thus  : 
"  Faneli  Primo  Tenore  Ass —  " 

Masini's  voice  was  more  sensuously  beau- 
tiful than  Fancelli's,  and  he  was  more  full  of 
conceit.  He  travelled  with  a  retinue  of  ten 
people,  including  cook,  barber,  doctor,  and 
lawyer.  He  also  distinguished  himself  in 
London  by  sending  word  to  Sir  Michael 
Costa,  the  conductor  of  the  orchestra,  to 
come  around  to  his  apartments,  and  run 
through  the  music  of  his  part,  as  he  did 
not  care  to  attend  the  rehearsal.  Costa 
did  not  go,  and  Masini  returned  to  Italy 
in  great  wrath. 

Joseph  Victor  Am^d6e  Capoul,  who  made 
his  d^but  in  1861,  was  for  many  years  con- 


Tenors  and  Baritomi .  263 

sidered  one  of  the  best  tenors  on  the  French 
stage.  He  was  born  in  1839,  ^^  Toulouse, 
and  entered  the  Paris  Conservatoire  in  1859, 
gaining  the  first  prize  in  comic  opera  in  1861. 
He  was  good-looking,  and  had  a  pleasant 
voice,  somewhat  marred  by  vibrato,  and  he 
was  an  excellent  actor  in  both  light  and 
serious  parts.  He  visited  America  first  in 
1873,  as  a  member  of  Strakosch's  company, 
which  included  Nilsson,  Miss  Gary,  Campa- 
nini,  Maurel,  Del  Puente,  and  others  not  so 
well  known,  and  to  which  were  afterwards 
added  Pauline  Lucca  and  lima  di  Murska. 
He  was  also  chief  tenor  of  a  French  Opera 
Bouffe  Company,  which  visited  America  in 
1879-80.  During  the  past  few  years  M. 
Capoul  has  lived  in  New  York,  where  he 
has  become  a  teacher  of  singing. 

Theodore  Wachtel  was  for  a  long  time 
one  of  the  leading  German  tencrs.  He 
was  the  son  of  a  stable  keeper  in  Hamburg, 
and  began  life  by  driving  his  father's  cabs. 


364  Famous  Singers. 

He  was  bom  in  1823,  and  obtained  his  first 
operatic  engagements  in  1854,  singing  in 
several  German  cities.  His  first  appearance 
in  London  was  in  1862,  when  he  sang  the 
part  of  Edgardo  in  "  Lucia,"  and  made  a 
complete  failure.  His  later  appearances 
brought  better  results,  and  yet  his  popular- 
ity was  gained  more  on  account  of  the  fine 
quality  and  great  power  of  his  voice  than 
from  any  artistic  use  of  it.  His  high  C 
was  his  chief  attraction,  and  this  note  he 
produced  from  the  chest  with  tremendous 
power. 

Wachtel  sang  in  America  during  several 
seasons.     He  died  in  Berlin  in  1893. 

The  greatest  German  tenor,  however,  for 
many  years  was  Albert  Niemann,  who  was 
blessed  with  a  magnificent  voice  and  a  fine 
appearance,  suitable  for  the  impersonation 
of  Wagner's  heroes,  in  which  he  excelled. 
He  was  born  in  1831,  at  Erxleben,  Magde- 
burg, and  went  on  the  stage  in  1849.     At 


Tenors  and  Baritones.  26$ 

first  he  sang  only  small  parts,  or  else  in  the 
chorus,  but,  as  he  improved  with  study,  he 
attracted  the  attention  of  Herr  von  Hulsen, 
General  Intendant  of  the  Royal  German 
Theatres,  who  took  him  to  Berlin.  He 
enjoyed  a  great  reputation  for  a  quarter  of 
a  century  in  Germany,  and  was  selected  by 
Wagner  to  sing  Siegmund  at  Bayreuth,  in 
1876.  Until  he  came  to  America  in  1886, 
and  1887,  when  his  voice  had  long  since 
departed,  his  only  appearances  out  of  Ger- 
many were  in  the  unsuccessful  production 
of  "Tannhauser"  at  Paris,  in  1861,  and  he 
sang  in  London  in  '82.  In  1887  he  formally 
retired  from  the  stage. 

Heinrich  Vogl  won  distinction  as  an  inter- 
preter of  Wagner  r61es.  He  was  born  in 
1845,  at  Au,  near  Munich,  and  was  instructed 
in  singing  by  Lachner,  and  in  acting  by 
Jenk,  the  stage  manager  of  the  Royal 
Theatre,  Munich.  At  this  theatre  he  made 
his  d^but   in  1 865  as  Max  in  "  Der  Frei- 


266  Famous  Singers. 

schiitz."  He  was  engaged  at  the  same 
theatre  almost  permanently  after  his  d^but 
and  was  always  immensely  popular.  In 
1868  he  married  Theresa  Thoma,  also  a 
singer  of  renown,  and  from  that  time  they 
generally  appeared  together. 

Vogl  played  Loge,  in  the  "  Rheingold,"  and 
Siegmund,  in  "Walkyrie,"  when  they  were 
produced  in  1869  and  1870,  and  his  greatest 
triumphs  have  been  gained  in  Wagner's 
operas.  When  the  Trilogy  was  produced  at 
Bayreuth,  in  1876,  he  played  the  part  of 
Loge,  and  was  highly  praised  for  his  admira- 
ble declamation  and  fine  acting. 

Theresa  Vogl  was  the  original  Sieglinde, 
at  Munich,  and  was  very  successful  in 
Wagner  opera.  She  was  born  in  1846,  at 
Tutzing,  Bavaria,  and  studied  singing  at 
the  Munich  conservatory,  appearing  first  in 
opera  at  Carlsruhe  in  1865. 

As  Mario's  powers  began  to  wane,  people 
wondered  who  would  succeed  him,  and  many 


Tenors  and  Baritones.  267 

based  their  hopes  on  Antonio  Giuglini,  a 
native  of  Fano,  Italy,  Giuglini  was  born  in 
1827,  but  did  not  appear  in  England  until 
1857,  when  he  sang  at  Her  Majesty's  Theatre. 
He  possessed  a  sweet,  high  tenor  voice  and 
an  elegance  of  style  which  some  critics  com- 
plained of  as  cold,  languid,  and  drawn  out. 
His  singing  was  without  variety  and  his 
acting  colorless  and  tame.  Notwithstanding 
all  this,  he  was  called  by  one  eminent  critic 
"the  best  that  has  been  heard  since  the 
arrival  of  Tamberlik,"  seven  years  previously. 

Giuglini's  career  was,  however,  of  short 
duration,  for  he  became  insane  in  1862,  and 
died  at  Pesaro  three  years  later. 

In  1872  a  tenor  appeared  who  at  first 
seemed  to  be  a  worthy  successor  to  Mario, 
—  Italo  Campanini,  who  was  born  at  Parma 
in  1846.  He  first  attracted  public  attention 
by  singing  the  part  of  Lohengrin  when  that 
opera  was  produced  at  Bologna,  in  1871,  and 
beginning  with  1872,  he  was  engaged  every 


268  Famous  Singers. 

season  for  ten  years  in  London.  His  first 
engagement  in  America  was  in  1873,  when 
he  was  a  member  of  a  company  organized  by 
Mapleson,  which  included  Nilsson,  Annie 
Louise  Gary,  Capoul,  and  Maurel.  In  America 
he  became  very  popular,  although  he  was 
considered  in  Europe  to  have  disappointed 
the  high  expectations  which  his  early  career 
had  justified.  He  had  a  pure  tenor  voice  of 
richest  quality,  but  owing  to  some  fault  in 
his  method  of  production  it  decayed  rapidly, 
and  his  declining  days  were  a  succession  of 
unfortunate  and  unsuccessful  attempts  to 
regain  his  lost  powers.  As  an  actor  he  was 
melodramatic  rather  than  powerful,  and  he 
was  looked  upon  as  a  hard  working  and 
extremely  zealous  artist. 

Campanini  had  a  varied  and  highly  inter- 
esting experience  of  the  triumphs  and 
vicissitudes  of  life.  He  was  the  son  of  a 
blacksmith,  and  was  brought  up  to  his 
father's   trade,    which   he   first    left   to   go 


Tenors  and  Baritones.  269 

soldiering  with  Garibaldi.  He  returned  after 
the  war,  and  his  vocal  powers  were  soon 
discovered  by  a  musician  who  happened  to 
hear  him  sing,  and  secured  for  him  a  course 
of  free  tuition  in  the  Parma  conservatory. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  commenced  his 
career  as  an  opera  singer.  He  met  with 
some  success,  and  was  engaged  to  travel  in 
Russia  for  twenty-four  dollars  a  month.  On 
his  return  to  Italy,  Campanini  went  to  Milan 
and  took  lessons  for  a  year  with  Lamperti, 
when  he  appeared  at  La  Scala  in  "  Faust." 

His  repertoire  was  remarkable,  consisting 
of  over  eighty  operas.  Beginning  his  career 
with  a  salary  of  eighty  cents  a  night,  he  rose 
until  he  received,  under  Mapleson's  manage- 
ment, j^  1,000  a  night,  and  in  one  season 
with  Henry  E.  Abbey  he  was  paid  1^56,000, 
—  yet  he  died  poor  as  well  as  voiceless.  He 
was  simple  and  unaffected  in  his  manners, 
and,  like  many  of  his  fraternity,  careless  and 
improvident,  but  he  had  many  friends  and 


270  Famous  Singers. 

with  the  public  was  very  popular  on  ample 
grounds. 

Mapleson  relates  that  when  he  first  en- 
gaged Campanini  to  appear  in  London,  he 
was  one  day  sitting  in  his  office  when  a 
rough-looking  individual  in  a  colored  flannel 
shirt,  with  no  collar,  a  beard  of  three  or  four 
days'  growth,  and  a  small  pot  hat,  entered 
and  announced  that  Campanini  had  arrived 
in  London.  « Are  you  sure } "  exclaimed 
the  impresario,  wondering  how  it  could 
interest  the  individual  before  him.  The 
strange-looking  being  burst  out  laughing,  and 
declared  that  he  was  quite  sure,  as  he  was 
himself  Campanini.  It  was  a  terrible  crusher 
for  Mapleson  to  find  that  his  great  star  was 
such  a  rough-looking  customer,  but  Campa- 
nini more  than  justified  the  reports  about 
his  singing  as  soon  as  he  made  his  first 
appearance  on  the  stage. 

An  American  who  had  the  honor  of  being 
for  three  years  first  tenor  at  the  Royal  Opera 


Tenors  and  Baritones.  271 

House,  Berlin,  and  nine  years  first  tenor  at 
the  Vienna  opera  house,  is  Charles  R.  Adams. 
He  was  born  in  Charlestown,  Mass.,  in  1834, 
and  after  some  study  with  Boston  teachers 
went  abroad,  where  he  became  a  pupil  of 
Barbi^re  in  Vienna.  After  acquiring  a  high 
reputation  in  Europe,  he  came  to  America  as 
a  member  of  the  Strakosch  opera  company 
in  1878,  being  associated  with  Miss  Kellogg, 
Miss  Gary,  Miss  Litta,  and  others.  In  the 
following  year  he  decided  to  remain  in  Boston, 
and  has  since  devoted  his  time  chiefly  to 
teaching. 

The  latter  half  of  the  nineteenth  century 
has  witnessed  the  growth  of  the  Wagner 
opera.  In  several  ways  has  the  doctrine  of 
Wagner  made  itself  felt  in  musical  art. 
Operas  no  longer  consist  of  a  series  of  solos, 
duets,  and  concerted  numbers,  with  an  open- 
ing and  closing  chorus,  all  strung  together  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  give  the  greatest  oppor- 
tunities  to   the   soloist.     An   opera  at   the 


272  Famous  Singers. 

present  day  must  be  a  drama  set  to  music. 
The  action  of  the  play  must  not  be  inter- 
rupted by  applause,  encores,  and  the  presen- 
tation of  flowers.  This  continuity  of  action 
is  noticeable  in  every  opera  of  modern  times, 
whether  German,  Italian,  or  French,  and  in 
itself  marks  a  decided  forward  movement 
in  the  annals  of  lyric  art. 

There  have  been  many  complaints  that 
the  singing  of  Wagner  opera  ruins  the  voice, 
but  to  contradict  this  statement  we  have 
only  to  look  at  the  careers  of  the  greatest 
Wagnerian  singers,  —  Matema,  Lehmann, 
Brandt,  Niemann,  Winkelmann,  Vogl,  the 
De  Reszkes,  Nordica,  Brema,  and  others  who 
have  sung  the  music  of  Wagner  for  years 
without  any  unlooked-for  deterioration.  The 
fact  is  that  they  learned  the  art  of  vo- 
calization, while  many  who  have  come  be- 
fore the  public  as  Wagnerian  singers  have 
been  practically  ignorant  of  the  first  princi- 
ples of  voice  production.     To  shout  and  de- 


x^^^^f^l-^^^;^^^^^^^^^ 


Tenors  and  Baritones.  273 

claim  does  not  by  any  means  constitute  the 
Wagnerian  idea.  The  music  is  as  singable 
as  the  most  mellifluous  Italian  opera  of  the 
old  school,  although  it  does  not  call  for  the 
flexibility  and  execution  which  were  con- 
sidered the  great  charm  of  singing  in  the 
time  of  Malibran,  Jenny  Lind,  and  Grisi.  An 
eminent  London  critic  writes  :  "  We  were 
tired  to  death  of  German  coughing,  bark- 
ing, choking,  and  gargling,  when  suddenly 
Jean  de  Reszke  sang  Tristan  beautifully." 

Jean  de  Reszke  is  a  native  of  Poland, 
having  been  born  at  Warsaw  in  1852.  His 
father  was  a  councillor  of  state  and  his 
mother  an  excellent  amateur  musician.  Their 
home  was  the  centre  of  attraction  for  many 
notable  artists  and  musicians,  so  that  the 
children  were  brought  up  in  an  atmosphere  of 
art.  Jean  was  taught  singing  by  his  mother, 
and  at  the  age  of  twelve  sang  the  solos  in 
the  cathedral  at  Warsaw.  He  was  educated 
for  the  profession  of  the  law,  but  his  love  of 


274-  Famous  Singers. 

music  was  such  that  he  decided  to  prepare 
himself  for  the  operatic  stage,  and  began  to 
study  with  Ciaffei,  and  later  on  with  Cotognl 
He  made  his  d^but  in  1874  at  Venice  as  a 
baritone,  and  for  some  years  sang  baritone 
parts,  until  he  found  the  strain  telling  upon 
his  health.  He  phrased  artistically  and  pos- 
sessed sensibility,  and  his  voice  was  of  ex- 
cellent quality ;  but  feeling  that  he  was  not 
fully  prepared,  he  retired  from  the  stage  for 
a  time  and  studied  with  Sbriglia  in  Paris. 
In  1879  h^  appeared  again,  but  as  a  tenor, 
in  "  Roberto,"  at  Madrid,  when  he  made  a 
great  success,  and  from  that  time  he  was 
regarded  as  one  of  the  greatest  tenors  of  the 
age.  Of  recent  years  his  successes  have 
been  chiefly  in  Wagnerian  r61es.  He  is  an 
ideal  Lohengrin,  and  has  added  to  his  laurels 
as  Tristan  and  as  Siegfried. 

Probably  no  tenor  since  the  days  of  Mario 
has  awakened  such  widespread  public  inter- 
est.    His  estates  in  Poland,  which  in  1896 


Tenors  and  Baritones.  275 

were  extensively  improved  for  the  reception 
of  his  bride,  the  Countess  Mailly-Nesle,  his 
love  of  horses  and  of  sport  in  general,  as 
well  as  the  jealousies  of  the  numerous  ladies 
who  vied  with  one  another  for  his  smiles,  all 
in  their  turn  formed  themes  for  newspaper 
and  magazine  comment.  The  personal  ap- 
pearance, as  well  as  the  geniality  of  the 
great  tenor,  helped  to  make  him  an  object 
of  interest,  for  he  is  a  man  of  great  physi- 
cal beauty  and  grace. 

Jean  de  Reszke  created  a  furore  in 
America,  and  has  visited  the  country  several 
times  under  the  management  of  Abbey  and 
Grau.  When  that  company  failed  in  1896, 
De  Reszke  attempted  to  form  an  opera  com- 
pany to  finish  the  season,  and  in  so  doing  he 
incurred  a  great  deal  of  popular  indignation 
by  his  treatment  of  Madame  Nordica,  who 
felt  obliged  to  leave  the  company,  and  by 
inducing  Madame  Melba  to  assume  Wagne- 
rian r61es,  in  which  she  proved  to  be  a  fail- 


2^6  Famous  Singers. 

ure.  He  became  the  object  of  newspaper 
attack  on  account  of  the  large  price  which 
he  demanded  for  his  services,  but  much  of 
this  indignation  is  unmerited,  for  the  simple 
reason  that  the  remedy  lies  with  the  public 
rather  than  with  the  singer.  An  opera 
singer  is  justified  in  getting  as  much  money 
as  his  services  will  bring,  and  as  long  as  he 
finds  people,  whether  managers  or  public, 
who  are  willing  to  pay  that  price,  he  will  ask 
it.  When  the  price  is  refused,  it  lies  with 
him  to  determine  whether  he  will  sing  for 
less  money  or  withdraw,  and  it  seldom  hap- 
pens that  it  is  necessary  for  a  thoroughly 
popular  artist  to  withdraw,  except  at  the  end 
of  his  career.  Patti  received  her  highest 
prices  when  she  was  past  her  prime,  and  the 
same  may  be  said  of  almost  every  great 
artist.  The  reason  may  be  found  in  the 
fact  that  their  greatness  does  not  dawn  upon 
the  general  public  until  years  after  their 
position  is  earned. 


Tenors  and  Baritones.  277 

In  1896  Jean  de  Reszke  married  the 
Countess  Mailly-Nesle,  to  whom  he  had  been 
engaged  for  several  years.  She  is  an  ama- 
teur musician  of  exceptional  ability,  and  a 
lady  of  much  personal  beauty. 

One  of  the  more  recent  stars  in  the  oper- 
atic firmament,  and  which  is  at  its  height,  is 
Ernest  Marie  Hubert  Van  Dyck,  born  in 
Antwerp,  1861.  He  at  first  intended  to 
become  a  lawyer,  and  for  a  time  studied 
jurisprudence  at  Louvain  and  Brussels.  His 
musical  gifts  and  love  of  art  could  not  be 
repressed  or  hidden,  and  whenever  he  sang 
his  voice  created  so  great  a  sensation  that,  in 
spite  of  family  opposition,  he  went  to  Paris 
to  study.  As  a  means  of  helping  himself  he 
was  for  a  time  assistant  editor  of  a  Parisian 
paper,  La  Patrie. 

In  1883  Massenet  heard  him  sing  at  a  pri- 
vate party  at  which  they  were  both  guests, 
and  was  so  much  struck  by  his  voice  and 
style  of  singing  that  he  asked  him  then  and 


2/8  Famous  Singers. 

there  to  act  as  substitute  for  a  tenor  who 
was  ill,  and  could  not  fill  his  engagement. 
The  occasion  was  the  performance,  under 
Massenet's  management,  of  a  cantata,  "Le 
Gladiateur,"  by  Paul  Vidal,  at  the  Institut 
de  France. 

Within  two  hours  Van  Dyck  studied  and 
sang  the  tenor  solos  with  such  an  effect  that 
he  immediately  became  the  topic  of  conver- 
sation among  musical  Parisians. 

He  was  now  engaged  by  Lamoureux, 
the  champion  of  Wagner  in  Paris,  for  a  term 
of  four  years,  during  which  he  sang  the  r61es 
of  Tristan,  Siegmund,  etc.  In  1887  he  sang 
Lohengrin,  but  its  production  caused  a  great 
deal  of  excitement,  owing  to  political  causes. 
Nevertheless,  the  performance  formed  a 
golden  epoch  in  the  history  of  Wagnerian 
art. 

Van  Dyck  was  now  induced  by  Levy  and 
Goo,  of  Bayreuth,  to  take  part  in  the  produo 
tion  of  "Parsifal,"  in  1888.     For  this  he  was 


Tenors  and  Baritoties.  279 

drilled  by  Felix  Mottl,  and  he  made  so  great 
a  success  that  he  was  at  once  engaged  for 
the  following  year. 

He  has  proved  himself  the  finest  repre- 
sentative of  the  character  of  Parsifal  that  has 
yet  been  heard,  even  Winkelmann  not  being 
excepted.  Since  1888  Van  Dyck  has  been 
engaged  at  Vienna. 

Mr.  Van  Dyck  married,  in  1886,  the 
daughter  of  Servais,  the  great  violoncellist 
and  composer.  He  is  a  knight  of  Baden  of 
the  order  of  the  Lion  of  Zahringen,  and  an 
officer  of  the  Academy  of  France. 

Of  Wagnerian  tenors,  Anton  Schott  and 
Hermann  Winkelmann  gained  a  high  repu- 
tation. The  former  made  his  d6but  in  1870, 
but  his  career  was  interrupted  by  the  out- 
break of  the  Franco-German  war,  through 
which  he  served,  as  he  had  also  served 
through  the  war  of  1866  against  Austria, 
Although  his  reputation  was  high  in  Ger- 
many, he  made  a  comparatively  small  im- 


28o  Famous  Singers. 

pression  in  England.  Winkelmann  took  the 
part  of  Parsifal  at  Bayreuth,  when,  in  1882, 
sixteen  performances  of  that  work  were 
given  under  Wagner's  supervision.  He  also 
came  to  America  with  Materna  and  Scaria, 
making  a  good  impression. 

Max  Alvary  also  was  well  known  in  the 
United  States  as  a  Wagnerian  singer.  He 
made  his  operatic  debut  in  1881,  and  ap- 
peared in  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House, 
New  York,  in  1885,  since  which  time  he 
has  been  heard  in  America  during  several 
seasons.  His  best  parts  were  Siegfried,  Tris- 
tan, and  Tannhauser,  and  he  was  for  many 
years  leading  tenor  at  the  Opera  in  Hamburg. 
His  death,  in  November,  1898,  at  the  age 
of  forty-one,  was  the  result  of  an  accident. 

Of  the  Italian  school,  Francisco  Tamagno 
holds  a  high  position  in  the  operatic  world 
of  to-day  as  a  robust  tenor.  He  excels  in 
dramatic  r61es,  such  as  Otello  and  Arnoldo, 
and  be  made  a  ^reat  success  in  "  Cavalleria 


^/cn/ 


Tenors  and  Baritones.  281 

Rusticana."  In  heroic  roles  he  sings  and 
acts  with  a  simplicity,  power,  and  authority 
not  surpassed  by  any  other  tenor  of  this 
generation.  He  was  born  at  Turin,  and 
began  his  musical  education  at  the  age  of 
eighteen.  His  debut  was  made  in  Palermo, 
at  the  age  of  twenty-three,  his  studies  having 
meanwhile  been  interrupted  by  military  du- 
ties. In  Venice  he  sang  with  Josephine  de 
Reszke,  the  sister  of  Jean  and  Edouard,  who 
had  a  short  but  brilliant  career.  For  many 
years  he  remained  at  La  Scala,  where  he  was 
immensely  popular.  He  is  tall,  big-chested, 
and  erect,  always  imposing,  and,  unlike 
most  Italians,  he  has  fair  hair  and  blue  eyes. 
An  American  critic  wrote  of  him  as  "hurl- 
ing forth  his  tones  without  reserve,  and  with 
a  vocal  exuberance  not  reached  by  any  living 
tenor.  He  quells  and  moves  by  overwhelm- 
ing strength  and  splendor." 

Tamagno  was  once  the  defendant  in  a  law- 
suit brought  against  him  by  the  manager  of 


I 

282  Famous  Singers. 

the  opera  in  Buenos  Ayres.  It  appears  that 
in  1890  the  tenor  was  engaged  for  a  season 
of  forty  performances,  for  which  he  was  to 
receive  $130,000.  Of  this  sum  $31,000  was 
paid  in  advance  before  he  would  leave  Italy. 
When  he  arrived  at  Buenos  Ayres  a  revo- 
lution broke  out,  and  only  four  performances 
of  opera  were  given.  The  manager  endeav- 
ored to  recover  his  money.  An  interesting 
feature  of  the  trial  was  that  it  brought  out 
the  fact  that  Tamagno  always  travels  with  a 
claque  of  eight,  and  that  it  is  stipulated  in  all 
his  contracts  that  he  shall  have  eight  tickets 
for  their  use.  This,  however,  has  been  de- 
nied, and  it  is  stated  that  Tamagno  has  not 
read  a  criticism  of  his  singing  for  years, 
knows  nothing  about  the  critical  opinion  of 
him,  cares  less ;  also  that  the  eight  tickets 
are  intended  for  his  family.  He  is  said  to 
be  the  highest-priced  tenor  of  the  age. 

Before  leaving  the  tenors  a  word  should 
be  said  concerning  Edward  Lloyd,   who  in 


Tenors  and  Baritones.  283 

England  seems  to  have  inherited  the  mantle 
of  Sims  Reeves.  He  was  born  in  1845,  and 
was  educated  as  a  chorister  in  the  choir  of 
Westminster  Abbey.  He  has  devoted  him- 
self entirely  to  concert  and  oratorio  singing, 
and  possesses  a  voice  of  the  purest  quality, 
with  a  style  noted  for  its  excellence  and 
finish. 

Henry  Guillaume  Ibos,  also,  a  French 
tenor  formerly  a  cavalry  officer,  who  made 
his  d6but  in  1885,  is  a  singer  whose  voice 
possesses  much  beauty.  He  was  born  at 
Toulouse  in  1862,  and  has  appeared  with 
much  success  in  France,  Russia,  and  Eng- 
land. He  also  made  a  tour  in  1897-98  in 
America. 

There  are  tenors  coming  to  the  surface 
continually.  Some  will  sink  into  obscurity, 
while  others  will  ascend  the  ladder  of  fame ; 
but  we  must  leave  them  to  the  future  and 
pay  a  little  attention  to  the  baritones,  of 
whom  Van  Rooy  has  recently  made  his  mark 


284  Famous  Singers. 

as  Wotan.  He  has  a  tremendous  voice, 
sings  with  ease,  and  gets  a  pleasing  softness 
into  his  tones.  He  is  likely  to  be  well  known 
in  the  future. 

Charles  Santley,  who  is  known  in  England 
as  the  greatest  baritone  of  the  Victorian  era, 
was  born  in  Liverpool  in  1834.  Having  a 
voice  of  fine  quality,  extensive  compass,  and 
great  power,  he  left  England  to  study  in 
Milan  in  1855.  Returning  in  1857,  he  took 
lessons  of  Manuel  Garcia.  In  the  same 
year  he  appeared  in  oratorio,  singing  the 
part  of  Adam  in  the  "  Creation."  His  first 
appearance  in  opera  in  England  was  in  1859, 
as  Hoel  in  "  Dinorah  "  at  Covent  Garden. 

Although  Mr.  Santley  sang  almost  all  the 
baritone  rdles  in  opera,  he  was  not  noted  for 
histrionic  powers,  but  rather  for  his  vocal 
abilities,  and  his  power  of  seizing  on  the 
exact  sentiment  and  significance  of  his 
part. 

In  1 87 1  he  visited  the  United  States  as  a 


Tenors  and  Baritones.  285 

member  of  the  Carl  Rosa  opera  company, 
during  which  time  he  reaped  substantial 
honors.  In  1889  he  made  a  concert  tour 
in  Australia. 

In  1892  Joseph  Bennett,  the  eminent 
critic,  wrote  :  "  The  foremost  baritone  of  the 
day  is  still  with  us,  and  though  his  physical 
means  have  suffered  changes  which  no  skill 
can  avoid,  he  is  a  greater  artist  than  ever, 
and  retains  plenty  of  vitality  for  his  work." 

Mr,  Santley  married,  in  1859,  Miss  Ger- 
trude Kemble,  the  granddaughter  of  the 
celebrated  actor,  and  his  daughter.  Miss 
Edith  Santley,  had  a  short  but  exceedingly 
brilliant  career  as  a  concert  singer,  previous 
to  her  marriage,  in  1884,  to  the  Hon.  R.  H. 
Lyttelton. 

Jean  Baptiste  Faure,  a  French  singer,  will 
be  remembered  as  the  creator  of  the  part  of 
Mephistopheles  in  Gounod's  "  Faust."  He 
was  a  good  musician  and  a  fine  actor,  and  he 
owed  more  to  his  genius  as  a  comedian  than 


286  Famous  Singers. 

to  his  voice,  which  was  of  great  compass, 
though  not  of  a  brilliant  quality.  In  the 
winter  of  1 86 1  he  made  his  first  appearance 
at  the  Grand  Opera  in  Paris,  though  he  had 
made  his  operatic  d6but  nine  years  before  at 
the  Opera  Comique.  For  many  years  he 
remained  at  the  Grand  Opera,  during  which 
time  he  was  a  prominent  figure  in  oper- 
atic history.  Faure  was  born  in  1830,  and 
was  the  son  of  a  singer  at  the  church  of 
Moulins.  His  father  died  when  he  was  but 
seven  years  old.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  he 
entered  the  solfeggio  class  at  the  Conserva- 
toire in  Paris,  to  which  city  his  family  had 
moved  when  he  was  three  years  old.  At 
the  breaking  of  his  boy's  voice  he  took  up 
piano  and  double  bass,  and  was  for  some 
time  a  member  of  the  band  at  the  Od6on 
theatre.  After  his  voice  was  settled  he 
joined  the  chorus  at  the  Theatre  Italien,  and 
in  1850  again  entered  the  Conservatoire, 
where  he  gained,  in  1852,  the  first  prizes  for 


Tenors  and  Baritones.  287 

singing  and  for  opera  comique.  He  is  a 
man  of  refined  tastes  and  great  culture,  and 
an  enthusiastic  collector  of  pictures.  In 
1859  he  married  Mile.  Lefebre,  an  actress  at 
the  Opera  Comique.  Of  Faure's  Mephis- 
topheles,  in  "Faust,"  a  critic  of  1876  writes, 
"  No  impersonation  of  this  character  at  all 
approaching  the  general  excellence  of  his 
could  be  named."  What  Faure  respected 
most  was  the  intention  of  the  composer.  It 
is  impossible  for  any  one  to  penetrate 
more  deeply  into  a  part,  to  adorn  it  with 
more  delicate  gradations  of  light  and  shade, 
to  hit  upon  more  felicitous  contrasts  and 
juster  intonations,  to  identify  himself  more 
thoroughly  with  a  character  or  an  epoch. 
He  proceeded  by  degrees,  led  his  audience 
to  sublimest  heights  of  enthusiasm  by 
cleverly  calculated  stages,  —  he  fascinated 
them. 

Of  French  baritones,  Victor  Maurel  is  the 
one  who  has  succeeded  Faure.     His  creation 


288  Famous  Singers. 

of  the  part  of  lago,  in  Verdi's  "  Otello,"  was 
considered  a  masterpiece  of  lyric  acting, 
and  lago  is  at  the  present  day  his  greatest 
rdle. 

Maurel  was  born  in  1848  at  Marseilles, 
and,  having  a  penchant  for  acting  and  sing- 
ing, began  to  play  in  comedy  and  light  opera 
in  his  native  town.  His  ambition  soon  led 
him  to  Paris,  where  he  entered  the  Conserva- 
toire and  studied  singing  with  Vauthrot,  and 
opera  with  Duvernoy.  He  gained  the  first 
prizes  in  both  subjects  in  1867. 

In  1869  he  made  his  d6but  in"Les  Hu- 
guenots," but  he  was  not  considered  suffi- 
ciently successful  to  secure  a  permanent 
engagement,  so  he  went  for  a  series  of  tours 
in  Italy,  Spain,  and  America.  His  first  Lon- 
don appearance  was  made  in  1873,  when  he 
took  the  part  of  Renato  at  the  Royal  Italian 
Opera,  and  was  engaged  there,  as  a  result  of 
his  success,  every  year  until  1879,  P^^yi^^g 
the  parts  of  Don  Giovanni,  Tell,  Almaviva, 


Tenors  and  Baritones.  289 

Hoel,  Peter  the  Great,  Valentine,  Hamlet, 
and  the  Cacique.  He  also  played  Wolfram 
and  the  Flying  Dutchman,  and  in  1878 
appeared  as  Domingo  in  Mass^'s  "Paul  and 
Virginia." 

In  1879  he  once  more  appeared  in  Paris, 
taking  the  part  of  Hamlet.  His  name  had 
become  established  since  his  previous  ap- 
pearance in  that  city,  and  he  was  now  a 
most  decided  success. 

About  this  time  M.  Maurel  undertook  the 
management  of  Italian  opera  at  the  Th6itre 
des  Nations.  His  enterprise  was  hailed 
with  joy  by  the  Parisians,  who  were  desirous 
of  having  Italian  opera. 

Maurel  surrounded  himself  with  a  com- 
pany of  the  finest  artists,  including  Mes- 
dames  Marimon,  Adler-D6vri^s,  Nevada,  and 
Tremelli,  and  Gayarr6,  the  brothers  De 
Reszke,  and  Maurel  himself. 

Notwithstanding  the  attractions  offered, 
the   outlay   exceeded    the   income,  and   M. 


290  Famous  Singers. 

Maurel  relieved  himself  of  a  large  amount 
of  money  in  a  remarkably  short  time.  His 
financial  disasters  in  no  way  interfered  with 
his  artistic  successes,  and  his  production  of 
Massenet's  "Herodiade,"  on  February  i, 
1884,  was  a  great  triumph. 

Victor  Maurel  combines  a  good  voice  with 
a  most  attractive  personality  and  a  great 
love  of  his  art.  He  is  undoubtedly  to  be 
considered  one  of  the  greatest  baritones  of 
the  present  day.  As  an  actor  M.  Maurel  is 
magnificent,  as  a  singer  he  has  never  had  a 
marvellous  organ,  but  he  has  used  it  with 
exquisite  art.  If  he  ceased  to  sing  he 
would  still  be  one  of  the  greatest  of  Shake- 
spearean actors.  As  lago  he  is  insidiously 
great,  as  Rigoletto  overwhelming  and  thrill- 
ing. 

He  first  visited  the  United  States  in  1874, 
and  he  was  at  once  accepted  as  a  great 
artist. 

Amongst  operatic  baritones  of  the  past 


Tenors  and  Baritones.  291 

twenty  years  Sefior  Guiseppe  Del  Puente, 
a  Spaniard,  descended  from  an  old  and  noble 
family,  must  be  mentioned.  He  was  born  in 
1845,  and  studied  at  the  conservatory  at 
Naples.  Being  a  true  artist  in  his  instincts, 
and  having  a  fine  voice,  he  speedily  excelled. 
He  became  connected  with  the  best  operatic 
enterprises,  and  was  always  popular  on  ac- 
count of  his  handsome  stage  presence,  dra- 
matic capability,  and  fine,  rotund,  musical 
baritone  voice.  He  was  equally  valuable  in 
the  comedy  parts  of  light  opera,  or  the 
heavier  ones  of  serious  opera. 

He  was  well  known  in  America  in  the 
eighties,  when  he  belonged  to  the  Mapleson 
company,  and  sang  with  Gerster,  Valleria, 
Scalchi,  Ravelli,  and  Galassi. 

The  greatest  English  baritone  of  the  pres- 
ent day  is  Ffran^on  Davies,  whose  voice  was 
declared  by  Sims  Reeves  to  be  the  purest 
baritone  he  had  ever  heard.  Besides  having 
this  beautifully  pure  tone,  he  has  perfect  con- 


2gi2  Famous  Singers. 

trol  of  the  breath,  and  remarkable  breadth 
and  intelligence. 

His  first  appearance  took  place  at  Free- 
trade  Hall,  Manchester,  at  Mr.  de  Jong's 
concerts  in  January,   1890. 

Mr.  Davies  was  born  at  Bethesda,  Car- 
narvonshire, North  Wales,  and,  after  receiv- 
ing his  early  education  at  Friar's  Grammar 
School,  at  Bangor,  he  obtained  an  exhibition 
at  Jesus  College,  Oxford.  He  gained  his 
B.  A.  and  M.  A.  degrees,  but  was  not  de- 
voted to  studies  only,  for  he  stood  well  in 
the  athletic  world  of  his  University,  playing 
football  in  his  college  team,  and  rowing  in 
the  Varsity  trial  eights. 

After  leaving  Oxford  he  began  to  study 
music  seriously,  and  entered  the  Guildhall 
School,  taking  lessons  later  with  Shake- 
speare. He  has  a  large  repertoire  of  bari- 
tone operatic  parts,  in  which  he  has  sung 
with  great  success,  and  he  is  one  of  the  best 
oratorio  and  concert  baritones  of  the  day. 


Tenors  and  Baritones.  293 

He  visited  America  in  1896,  and  confirmed 
the  good  accounts  which  had  preceded  him. 

In  the  list  of  famous  baritones  of  the 
present  day,  America  is  admirably  repre- 
sented by  David  Bispham,  who  has  gained 
his  greatest  reputation  in  the  part  of  Falstaff 
in  Verdi's  opera  of  that  name. 

Mr.  Bispham  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  in 
1857,  his  father  being  a  Quaker.  Like 
many  of  the  singers  of  to-day,  he  was  in- 
tended for  a  commercial  career,  but,  being 
more  interested  in  music,  he  eventually 
allowed  his  love  for  art  to  overcome  his 
desire  for  business,  or,  as  he  has  himself 
said,  he  went  the  way  of  least  resistance. 
His  father's  musical  proclivities  manifested 
themselves  on  the  flute,  which  instrument 
he  played  beautifully,  and  young  Bispham 
solaced  the  leisure  hours  of  his  youth  with 
the  guitar  and  zither,  but  never  learned  much 
of  any  other  instrument.  On  every  possible 
occasion  he  sang.      He  was  a  member  of 


2g4  Famous  Singers. 

several  choral  societies  and  church  choirs, 
and  had  the  advantage  of  many  musical 
friends.  He  took  parts  also  in  amateur 
dramatic  performances,  and  thus  made  some 
progress  in  his  art. 

In  1885  he  gave  up  business  and  went  to 
London,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He 
studied  with  Vannucini,  Shakespeare,  and 
Laraperti,  and  in  1891  made  his  d6but  in 
London  in  "  La  Basoche,"  scoring  an  instan- 
taneous success.  He  also  made  a  provincial 
tour  with  Sims  Reeves. 

Mr.  Bispham  has  a  repertoire  of  nearly 
fifty  r61es,  and  can  sing  entire  parts  in  Ger- 
man, Italian,  French,  and  English.  There 
are  few  artists  who  work  as  conscientiously 
for  the  general  good  of  art,  and  there  are 
few  who  have  made  so  general  a  success  in 
such  a  wide  variety  of  roles,  among  the  best 
of  which  are  Wotan,  Wolfram,  and  Beck- 
messer.  He  is  also  without  a  peer  on  the 
concert  platform  as  an  interpreter  of  Wagner. 


Tenors  and  Baritones.  295 

He  was  seen  in  opera  in  America  in  1896, 
and  his  artistic  efforts  made  a  deep  impres- 
sion, for  he  is  one  of  the  few  artists  who 
combine  with  unusual  vocal  accomplish- 
ments great  dramatic  powers. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

CONTRALTOS    AND    BASSOS. 

The  contralto  in  an  opera  company  has  a 
somewhat  thankless  task.  Her  fate  is  to  be 
either  a  boy,  or  else  a  nurse,  duenna,  or  some 
character  which  implies  age.  She  frequently 
is  obliged  to  stand  mute  while  the  prima 
donna  warbles  and  trills  and  receives  the 
applause  of  the  house,  and  yet  the  musical 
demands  upon  the  contralto  are  equal  to 
those  made  upon  the  soprano. 

A  contralto  who  was  deservedly  popular 
for  many  years  during  the  middle  of  this 
century  was  Adelaide  Phillips.  She  was 
bom  in  Stratford-on-Avon  in  1833,  and  in 
1840  went  with  her  family  to  Canada,  after- 
wards settling  in  Boston,  where,  in  1843,  she 
appeared  as  an  infant  prodigy  at  the  Boston 
296 


Contraltos  and  Bassos.  297 

Museum.  In  1850,  her  voice  having  attracted 
attention,  she  was  introduced  to  Jenny  Lind, 
who  advised  her  to  study  music.  A  sub- 
scription soon  raised  the  necessary  funds, 
and  she  was  sent  to  Manuel  Garcia  in  Lon- 
don, after  which  another  fund  was  raised  to 
enable  her  to  go  to  Italy,  where  she  made 
her  d^but  in  1854  at  Milan.  She  sang  with 
success  in  many  cities  of  both  hemispheres, 
and  her  repertoire  consisted  of  all  the  con- 
tralto parts  in  the  operas  that  held  their 
places  on  the  Italian  stage  during  the 
twenty-five  years  that  she  was  known  as 
an  opera  singer.  In  1879,  when  the  Boston 
Ideal  Opera  Company  was  formed,  Adelaide 
Phillips  was  the  chief  contralto.  She  made 
her  last  appearance,  in  Cincinnati,  in  Decem- 
ber, 1 88 1. 

In  1882  the  state  of  her  health  was  such 
that  she  was  obliged  to  go  to  Carlsbad,  and 
she  died  there  on  October  3d  of  the  same 
year. 


298  Famous  Singers. 

In  private  life  Miss  Phillips  was  highly 
esteemed,  for  she  was  not  only  an  artist  of 
sterling  abilities,  but  a  woman  of  grand  char- 
acter and  a  most  devoted  friend.  She  was 
buried  at  Marshfield,  Mass.,  where  the  family 
had  lived  for  some  years  on  an  estate  which 
her  success  had  enabled  her  to  buy.  Her 
life  was  one  of  hard  and  unceasing  labor,  but 
she  had  the  satisfaction  of  being  able  to  care 
for  the  necessities  of  her  family,  who  were 
thrown  upon  her  in  early  life. 

A  mezzo-soprano  who  took  the  public  by 
storm  in  the  early  sixties  was  Zelia  Trebelli, 
or,  as  she  was  more  widely  known,  after  her 
marriage,  Madame  Trebelli-Bettini.  No  mem- 
ber of  Merelli's  Italian  troupe  was  gifted  with 
so  brilliant  a  voice  and  so  much  executive 
power.  Her  appearances  in  the  opera  houses 
in  Germany  were  a  series  of  triumphs,  pub- 
lic and  critics  alike  being  carried  away  by 
her  voice,  with  its  brilliancy  and  flexibility, 
and  her  control  over  it. 


Contraltos  and  Bassos.  299 

Her  early  triumph  was  the  result  of  long 
preparation,  for  her  musical  education  began 
when  she  was  six  years  old,  and  her  vocal 
training  ten  years  later.  It  was  not  until 
after  five  years  of  close  application  to  study 
that  she  made  her  d6but  in  Madrid,  playing 
Rosina  in  "II  Barbiere,"  with  Mario  as 
Count  Almaviva. 

For  many  years  Trebelii-Bettini  remained 
one  of  the  best  of  the  galaxy  of  opera  singers 
which  the  operatic  stage  has  displayed  dur- 
ing  the  last  half  of  the  century.  In  1884 
she  made  a  tour  in  the  United  States  with 
Mr.  Abbey's  troupe.  She  was  born  in  Paris 
in  1838,  and  died  in  1892.  Her  proper 
name  was  Zelia  Gilbert,  which  expanded 
and  Frenchified  into  Gillebert  and  reversed 
gives  Trebelli(g),  the  Italian  name  which  has 
for  some  years  appeared  to  be  necessary  for 
all  those  who  wish  to  succeed  in  opera. 

When  Gounod's  "  Faust "  received  its  first 
performance  in  England,  in  1863,  the  cast 


300  Famous  Singers. 

included  Tietiens,  as  Marguerite ;  Trebelli, 
as  Siebel ;  Giuglini,  as  Faust ;  Gassier,  as 
Mephistopheles ;  and  Cliaries  Santley,  as 
Valentine. 

Since  the  days  of  Alboni  there  has  been 
no  contralto  singer  to  whom  the  adjective 
"  great  "  could  be  so  fitly  applied  as  to  Sofia 
Scalchi.  She  was  born  in  Turin,  and  her 
parents  were  both  singers.  She  made  her 
d^but  in  1866  at  Mantua,  in  the  part  of 
Ulrica  (Un  Ballo  in  Maschera),  when  she  was 
only  sixteen  years  of  age.  Her  first  appear- 
ance in  London  took  place  two  years  later, 
and  from  that  time  she  remained  a  favorite 
in  England,  where  she  sang  in  the  memo- 
rable season  of  "Cenerentola,"  and  every 
season  afterwards  for  more  than  twenty-five 
years.  Madame  Scalchi  is  well  known  in 
America,  where  she  first  appeared  under 
Mapleson's  management  in  1882.  She  had 
been  singing  in  Rio  Janeiro,  and  reached 
New  York  after  a  stormy  voyage  of  twenty 


Contraltos  and  Bassos.  %o\ 

two  days,  which  left  her  in  such  an  exhausted 
condition  that  she  was  incapacitated  for  a 
month,  and  her  illness  played  havoc  with 
Mapleson's  managements. 

Scalchi  was  the  possessor  of  a  voice  of 
delicious  quality  and  unusual  range,  every 
note  in  its  compass  of  two  and  a  half  octaves 
being  of  a  wonderfully  soft  yet  penetrating 
tone,  and  of  great  power.  Her  popularity 
was  such  that  Patti  and  other  prima  donnas 
feared  her  as  a  rival,  and  regarded  with  jeal- 
ousy the  applause  which  attended  her  per- 
formances. Scalchi  was  imbued  with  the 
prima  donna  temperament,  and  had  the  reg- 
ulation parrots  and  other  pets  during  her 
travels.  Concerning  this  portion  of  her 
equipage,  Mapleson  tells  an  anecdote  to  the 
effect  that  Scalchi's  parrot  died  the  night 
before  the  company  reached  Salt  Lake  City, 
in  1884,  a  bereavement  which  caused  that 
lady  to  go  into  hysterics  and  take  to  a  bed 
of  sickness.      Notwithstanding  every  art  of 


302  Famous  Singers. 

persuasion  and  such  threats  as  could  be  used, 
Scalchi  refused  to  appear,  and  her  part  had 
to  be  taken  by  a  substitute. 

In  1876  Signora  Scalchi  married  Count 
Luigi  Alberto  Lolli,  and  her  home  is  at  the 
Villa  Sofia,  Turin,  Italy. 

Marianne  Brandt  is  one  of  those  singers 
who  have  made  their  reputation  as  expo- 
nents of  Wagner  opera.  She  is  the  daughter 
of  a  gentleman  of  Vienna,  named  Bischoff, 
and  it  is  related  that  she  assumed  the  name 
of  Brandt  upon  beginning  her  stage  career 
on  account  of  her  parents,  who  strongly 
objected  to  her  going  upon  the  stage,  and 
threw  in  her  way  every  possible  obstacle. 
Marianne,  however,  was  determined  to  per- 
severe, and  she  went  through  a  period  of 
patient,  hard  work,  in  order  to  gain  her 
education.  It  is  said  that  at  one  time  she 
supported  herself,  and  paid  for  her  lessons 
by  sewing. 

Her  first  teacher  was  Frau  Marschner,  at 


Contraltos  and  Bassos.  303 

the  Conservatorium  in  Vienna,  but  later  on 
she  took  lessons  of  Madame  Pauline  Viardot- 
Garcia. 

In  1867  she  received  an  engagement  at 
Gratz,  where  she  made  her  d^but  as  Rachel, 
in  "  La  Juive."  Her  parents  had  expected 
failure,  hence  their  unwillingness  to  allow 
the  use  of  the  family  name. 

In  1868  she  sang  at  Hamburg,  when  she 
played  Fides  with  such  success  that  she  was 
immediately  offered  a  permanent  engagement, 
which  was  accepted,  and  lasted  for  many 
years.  During  her  leaves  of  absence  she 
appeared  in  London  as  Fidelio,  but  did  not 
make  a  remarkable  success,  though  ten  years 
later,  when  she  sang  in  "  Tristan  and  Isolde," 
her  artistic  efforts  were  heartily  appreciated. 

Fraulein  Brandt  sang  the  part  of  Kundry 
at  the  second  representation  of  "Parsifal", 
at  Bayreuth,  and  it  is  said  that  she  gener- 
ously gave   her   services   on   that  occasion. 
She  has  visited  the  United   States  several 


304  Famous  Singers. 

times,  taking  part  in  some  of  the  earlier 
representations  of  Wagner  opera  in  New 
York  and  other  cities. 

The  next  contralto  singer  to  appear  in 
opera  was  Annie  Louise  Gary,  a  native  of 
the  State  of  Maine,  where  she  was  born 
in  1846,  at  Wayne.  Her  family  were  all 
musical,  and  she  was  the  youngest  of  six 
musical  children.  By  the  time  she  was 
sixteen  her  voice  had  developed  wonderful 
qualities,  and  she  was  able  to  sing  from  C 
in  the  bass  clef  to  F  in  alt,  a  range  of  three 
octaves  and  a  half.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
she  went  to  Boston,  and  secured  a  position 
in  a  church  choir,  while  she  studied  music. 
Her  career  in  Boston  was  much  the  same 
as  that  of  many  young  aspirants  for  artistic 
honors,  —  "  church  choir  and  chores,"  it 
has  been  facetiously  called.  By  this  it  may 
be  understood  that  she  earned  her  board  by 
assisting  in  the  household  duties,  while  her 
church  choir  position  enabled  her  to  pay  for 


Contraltos  and  Bassos.  305 

her  vocal  lessons.  Her  splendid  voice  and 
musical  intelligence  soon  enabled  her  to 
obtain  concert  engagements,  and  before  she 
went  abroad  she  sang  in  many  festivals 
and  at  the  Handel  and  Haydn  Society  con- 
certs, on  one  of  which  occasions  she  was 
associated  with  Parepa-Rosa. 

Being  possessed  of  much  ambition,  and 
with  the  energy  which  characterizes  the 
natives  of  the  State  of  Maine,  Miss  Gary 
organized  and  gave  a  concert  in  Music  Hall, 
which  brought  her  enough  funds  for  a  year's 
study  abroad.  Her  Puritan  training  forbade 
the  idea  of  opera,  and  it  was  her  intention 
to  study  for  concert  and  oratorio.  At  the 
end  of  her  year  she  was  discouraged,  and 
declared  that  she  sang  no  better  than  when 
she  arrived.  To  this  her  teacher,  Giovanni 
Conti,  made  no  dissent,  for  his  one  idea  of 
singing  was  opera.  Miss  Gary  flung  down 
her  music,  and  left  the  room  in  disgust. 
And   now   came    a    curious   mental   revolu- 


306  Famous  Singers. 

tion :  having  refused  to  consider  the  pos- 
sibility of  singing  in  opera,  and  having  on 
that  account  left  her  teacher,  she  shortly 
afterwards  met  an  impresario  named  Lorini, 
for  whom  she  sang.  He  offered  her  an 
engagement  to  sing  in  Italian  opera,  and 
she  accepted  it.  For  two  years  she  was 
in  Lorini's  company,  taking  all  kinds  of 
parts.  In  1869  she  went  to  Paris  for  fur- 
ther study,  and  while  there  met  Maurice 
Strakosch,  who  was  at  that  time  forming 
the  Nilsson  concert  company,  for  a  tour 
in  America.  Miss  Gary  accepted  the  engage- 
ment which  he  offered  her.  The  company 
consisted  of  Miss  Nilsson,  soprano ;  Miss 
Gary,  contralto  ;  Brignoli,  tenor ;  Verger,  bar- 
itone, and  Vieuxtemps,  violinist.  This  tour 
lasted  two  years,  and  in  1873  Miss  Gary 
again  appeared  in  opera,  creating  the  part 
of  Amneris,  with  Italo  Gampanini  as  Rha- 
dames,  when  "Aida"  was  produced  at  the 
Academy   of    Music    in   New   York.      The 


Contraltos  and  Bassos.  307 

following  year  Miss  Gary  sang  Ortrud  in 
"Lohengrin." 

In  1879  ^^^  i^^<^  M^ss  Gary  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Kellogg  Goncert  Gompany.  Dur- 
ing the   last  years  of  her  career,   1879   to 

1 88 1,  she  sang  again  in  opera,  adding  to  her 
repertoire  the  contralto  part  in  "  Favorita." 
Gampanini  and  Gerster  were  the  tenor  and 
soprano.  In  1881  she  made  her  last  appear- 
ance in  opera  in  Philadelphia,  and  in  1882 
she  sang  for  the  last  time  at  the  Gincinnati 
festival,  having  taken  part  in  each  one  given 
from  1873.  So  well  was  she  known  at  these 
festivals  that  when,  in  1884,  she  attended  as 
a  member  of  the  audience,  she  was  at  once 
recognized  and  received  an  ovation  on  taking 
her   seat.      On  retiring  from  the  stage  in 

1882,  Miss  Gary  married  Dr.  G.  H.  Ray- 
mond, putting  an  end  to  her  public  career 
when  she  was  at  the  height  of  her  popu- 
larity. All  young  singers  may  take  her 
early  career  as  a  model,  for  it  should  give 


308  Famous  Singers. 

hope  and  courage  to  the  many  who  are 
to-day  making  a  similar  struggle. 

One  of  the  members  of  Mapleson's  com- 
pany which  visited  the  United  States  in  1884, 
and  which  included  Patti  and  Gerster,  was 
Anna  de  Belocca,  a  contralto  of  much  merit. 
Her  first  appearance  in  this  country,  however, 
was  made  under  the  auspices  of  Maurice 
Strakosch,  in  1876,  when  she  was  a  new  star 
on  the  operatic  horizon.  Mile,  de  Belocca 
was  unusually  attractive  in  person,  with  brown 
hair,  large  black  eyes,  dead-white  complexion, 
and  symmetrical  form.  She  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  M.  de  Bellokh,  a  scholar  of  St.  Peters- 
burg and  acting  Imperial  Councillor  of  State. 
Mile,  de  Belocca  spoke  five  languages,  and 
because  of  her  aristocratic  birth  was  sought 
after  by  the  highest  circles  of  society. 

Mapleson  seems  to  have  been  well  aware 
of  her  ideas  on  social  matters,  for  on  one 
occasion  he  made  use  of  his  knowledge  to 
help   himself   out  of  a  dilemma.     His  com- 


Contraltos  and  Bassos.  309 

pany  was  in  Dublin,  and  the  one  suite  of 
rooms  at  the  hotel  was  claimed  by  both  Mile. 
Salla,  the  prima  donna,  and  Mile.  Belocca, 
the  contralto.  Neither  would  give  way  until 
a  happy  thought  struck  Mapleson,  and,  after 
taking  the  landlord  aside  for  a  short  confer- 
ence, he  asked  whether  there  were  actually 
no  other  rooms  in  the  house  equal  to  the 
disputed  ones,  "  There  is  a  suite  above  this," 
was  the  reply,  "but  they  are  reserved  spe- 
cially for  Lady  Spencer  (wife  of  the  Lord 
Lieutenant  of  Ireland  at  that  time),  and  it 
would  be  impossible  for  me  to  let  any  one 
else  use  them."  "Well,  can't  we  look  at 
them  .-*  "  suggested  Mapleson.  The  landlord 
assented,  and  showed  Mapleson  up.  Mile. 
Belocca  following.  As  soon  as  she  entered 
the  rooms  she  declared  that  they  were 
delightful,  and  she  should  insist  on  remaining 
there.  Of  course  the  landlord  and  Mapleson 
gave  a  reluctant  but  delighted  consent,  and 
Lady  Spencer  made  no  requisition. 


3IO  Famous  Singers. 

The  principal  contralto  at  the  festival  at 
Cincinnati  in  1896  was  Marie  Brema,  who  is 
to-day  considered  one  of  the  greatest  inter- 
preters of  Wagner.  Miss  Brema  was  bom 
in  Scotland,  and  made  her  first  appearance  in 
concert  at  St,  James's  Hall,  London.  She  was 
introduced  to  Frau  Wagner,  who  was  so  well 
pleased  with  her  that  she  offered  her  an  en- 
gagement to  sing  the  part  of  Ortrud  in  "  Lo- 
hengrin "  and  gave  her  personal  instruction. 

In  1888  a  London  theatrical  manager  saw 
her  play  in  some  amateur  theatricals,  and  was 
so  struck  by  her  talent  that  he  wanted  to  star 
her  as  an  actress.  She  declined  his  proposi- 
tion, feeling  that  the  operatic  stage  was 
better  suited  to  her  capabilities.  When  she 
appeared  at  the  Bayreuth  festival,  in  1894, 
as  Kundry  and  Ortrud,  she  made  an 
immense  triumph.  She  sang  with  no  appar- 
ent effort,  naturally  and  gracefully,  as  all  true 
singers  do.  Her  voice  was  full,  round,  and 
well  placed,  and  her  coloring  perfect. 


Contraltos  and  Bassos.  311 

Since  that  time  she  has  fully  maintained 
her  reputation,  and  has  been  heard  in  America 
with  the  Damrosch  company,  in  1894-5-9, 
and  with  Abbey  and  Grau  the  following  year. 
During  the  opera  season  in  London  in  1 898 
her  work  elicited  the  highest  praise  of  the 
critics.  Miss  Brema  is  still  young,  and  is 
likely  to  hold  a  high  rank  among  singers  for 
many  years  to  come. 

The  singer  in  an  opera  company  who  shares 
with  the  contralto  the  hard  work,  but  seldom 
reaps  much  of  the  glory,  is  the  bass,  while 
the  tenor  is  always  an  object  of  adoration,  or 
should  be,  if  he  is  a  good  singer,  and  the 
baritone  has  many  good  parts.  The  basso 
not  only  has  thankless  parts  allotted  to  him, 
but,  from  precedent,  one  generally  expects  him 
to  be  wobbly  and  to  sing  frequently  out  of  tune. 
Some  bassos  have  broken  through  the  law  of 
precedent,  and  then  they  have  been  delightful. 
An  operatic  king  or  duke,  who  is  usually  a 
bass,  is  very  seldom  heard  to  sing  in  tune, 


312  Famous  Singers. 

nor  is  the  heavy  villain  of  the  opera,  who  is 
always  a  bass,  able  to  keep  within  half  a  note 
of  the  path  laid  down  for  him  by  the  com- 
poser. Two  bassos  who  made  their  appearance 
at  about  the  same  time  were  Signor  Foil 
(1862)  and  Signor  Agnesi  (1864),  and  for 
many  years  they  were  associated  with  Italian 
opera  and  oratorio  throughout  Europe,  Si- 
gnor Foli  was  an  Irishman  whose  real  name 
was  Allan  James  Foley.  He  was  bom  at 
Cahir,  Tipperary,  and  went  to  America  when 
very  young.  His  voice  was  a  rich,  powerful 
bass  of  more  than  two  octaves,  from  E  below 
the  line  to  F,  and  he  had  a  repertoire  of  over 
sixty  operas. 

Of  late  years  several  singers  of  English 
and  American  origin  have  achieved  distinction 
without  the  necessity  of  Italianizing  their 
name,  —  Bispham,  for  instance,  being  a  strik- 
ing example.  There  are  various  reasons 
assigned  for  the  necessity  of  a  change.  One  is 
that  the  name  must  be  possible  of  pronuncia- 


Contraltos  and  Bassos.  313 

tion  by  the  Italians,  in  whose  country  the 
opera  singer  germinates,  and  the  other  is  that 
Americans  and  English  have  not  yet  learned 
to  appreciate  a  singer  by  his  merits,  but  rather 
by  his  name.  One  of  the  most  ridiculous 
instances  of  Italianizing  was  in  the  case  of 
Mr.  John  Clarke,  of  Brooklyn,  who  became 
Signer  Giovanni  Chiari  di  Broccolini.  On 
the  other  hand,  Santley  never  found  it  neces- 
sary to  become  Italian,  nor  did  Sims  Reeves. 
Myron  Whitney  is  a  name  needing  no  Ital- 
ianization.  Emma  Eames  has  found  her 
name  no  bar  to  renown,  and  a  score  of  sing- 
ers who  are  now  climbing  the  ladder  of  fame 
are  not  ashamed  of  their  Anglo-Saxon  origin. 
Louis  Ferdinand  Leopold  Agnesi  (Agniez) 
was  a  native  of  Namur,  Belgium,  and  in 
his  early  days  essayed  to  be  a  composer. 
He  brought  out  an  opera,  "Harold  le  Nor- 
mand,"  which  met  with  indifferent  success, 
and  then  he  became  a  singer,  receiving 
instruction  from    Duprez.     His   career  was 


314  Famous  Singers. 

not  long,  for  he  died  in  1875,  ^^^^  he  was  a 
most  popular  singer. 

Emil  Fischer,  who  for  many  years  has 
been  associated  with  Wagner  opera,  was  the 
son  of  musicians,  his  father  having  been 
a  well-known  basso  and  his  mother  also  a 
singer  of  renown.  He  first  appeared  at  Gratz 
at  the  age  of  seventeen.  In  1862  he  took 
the  management  of  the  theatre  at  Dantzig 
and  held  it  for  eight  years.  In  1882  he 
became  a  member  of  the  Royal  Opera  at 
Dresden,  and  remained  there  until,  in  1885, 
he  went  to  New  York  and  joined  the  German 
opera.  Since  that  time  he  has  become  well 
known  in  America,  having  appeared  in  most 
of  the  representations  of  Wagner's  operas. 

Emil  Scaria  was  for  many  years  known  as 
a  versatile  singer  and  actor,  more  particu- 
larly in  German  opera.  He  made  his  d^but 
in  1862  at  Dessau,  after  having  studied  in 
the  conservatoire  at  Vienna  and  with  Garcia 
in  London.     From  1865  to  1872  he  was  at 


Contraltos  and  Bassos.  315 

Dresden,  and  then  at  Vienna  for  several 
years.  Later  on  he  visited  America,  and 
was  one  of  the  celebrated  Wagner  trio,  con- 
sisting of  Materna,  Winkelmann,  and  Scaria, 
who  in  1884  sang  in  the  Wagner  festivals. 
Scaria  was  born  in  1838  at  Gratz.  He 
created  the  part  of  Gurnemanz  in  "  Parsifal," 
at  Bayreuth.  In  1885  he  became  a  victim 
to  insanity,  and  died  the  following  year. 

In  1876  Edouard  de  Reszke  made  his 
d^but  at  Paris  in  "Aida,"  and  entered  on  a 
career  of  renown.  He  is  the  younger  brother 
of  Jean  de  Reszke,  the  tenor,  and  it  was  at 
the  instigation  of  Jean  that  he  abandoned 
his  proposed  occupation  and  took  to  the 
stage.  Edouard  had  undergone  a  course  of 
study  at  the  Agricultural  College  at  Prikao, 
with  a  view  to  developing  the  resources  of 
the  great  estates  in  Poland  belonging  to  the 
De  Reszke  family.  He  accordingly  pro- 
ceeded to  Milan,  and  studied  with  Stella  and 
Alba,  and  later  on  with  ColettL     At  the  end 


3i6  Famous  Singers. 

of  four  years  he  went  to  Paris  for  further 
study,  and  to  make  his  d^but. 

His  voice  is  a  full,  rich,  resonant  bass, 
capable  of  sending  forth  notes  of  immense 
volume,  or  those  of  the  most  tender  quality. 
His  appearance  is  that  of  a  great,  tall,  broad- 
shouldered  giant,  with  fair  skin  and  blue 
eyes,  and  his  stage  presence  is  imposing. 

Four  years  after  his  debut  in  Paris  he 
created  the  part  of  II  Re,  in  Catalani's 
"  Elda,"  and  Massenet  entrusted  to  him  the 
creation  of  "  Le  Roi  de  Lahore "  when  it 
was  produced  at  La  Scala  in  Milan.  He 
has  also  created  the  parts  of  Carlo  V,,  in 
Marchetti's  "  Don  Giovanni  d' Austria,"  and 
Don  Diegue,  in  "  Le  Cid."  He  was  engaged 
in  London  during  the  seasons  from  1880- 
84,  and  became  immensely  popular.  He 
has  many  friends  in  England,  for  he  has 
a  weakness  for  everything  connected  with 
sport,  in  the  best  sense. 

Notwithstanding  the  many  parts  in  which 


Contraltos  and  Bassos.  317 

he  has  made  the  greatest  success,  his  as- 
sumption of  the  rdle  of  Mephistopheles,  in 
"  Faust,"  more  than  any  other,  established 
his  reputation  as  a  great  lyric  artist,  and  he 
is  generally  conceded  to  be  one  of  the 
greatest  bassos  of  the  century. 

Of  late  years  a  French  basso  has  arisen 
to  share  the  popularity  of  Edouard  de 
Reszke,  —  Pol  Plan^on,  who  for  more  than 
a  decade  has  been  one  of  the  permanent  stars 
of  the  Paris  Opera  House.  M.  Plangon  was 
intended  for  a  mercantile  career,  but  having 
been  an  enthusiastic  singer  from  the  age  of 
four,  he  rebelled  against  the  decision  of  his 
parents.  He  was  nevertheless  sent  to  Paris, 
and  entered  a  large  and  fashionable  store  to 
learn  the  business.  One  day  Theodore 
Ritter,  the  piariist,  heard  him  sing,  for  he 
sang  upon  every  possible  occasion,  and  was 
so  pleased  with  his  voice  that  he  advised  him 
to  turn  his  attention  to  music.  Through 
the  influence  of  Ritter  he  was  admitted  to 


3i8  Famojis  Singers. 

the  ficole  Duprez,  and  thereby  incurred  the 
severe  displeasure  of  his  family. 

M.  Plan9on  made  his  first  appearance  at 
Lyons  as  St.  Bris,  in  "  Les  Huguenots,"  and 
remained  there  for  two  seasons.  In  1883 
he  returned  to  Paris,  and  made  his  Parisian 
d^but  at  the  Grand  Opera  House  as  Mephisto, 
in  "  Faust,"  a  part  in  which  he  excels.  Since 
that  time  he  has  sung  all  the  chief  bass  roles 
at  the  Grand  Opera  House,  and  has  created 
the  parts  of  Francois  I.,  in  Saint-Saens's 
"  Ascanio,"  Don  Gomez,  in  Massenet's  "  Le 
Cid,"  and  Pittacus,  in  Gounod's  "  Sapho," 
when  that  work  was  revived  in  1893. 

M.  Plangon  was  born  in  the  Ardennes,  but 
since  his  position  as  a  singer  was  assured  he 
has  resided  in  Paris,  where  also  his  parents, 
whose  objections  were  disarmed  by  his  suc- 
cess, have  joined  him. 

Before  closing  this  chapter  of  bassos  a 
few  words  should  be  said  concerning  three 
eminent  singers  whose  reputation  was  made 


'^AOfUY^n^. 


[/t/n/^ 


Contraltos  and  Bassos.  319 

in  oratorio  and  concert  singing,  —  Stock- 
hausen,  Henschel,  and  Myron  W.  Whitney. 

Julius  Stockhausen  was  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  singers  of  the  century.  He  was 
born  at  Paris  in  1826.  His  early  career 
was  of  a  varied  nature,  for  he  took  part  in 
concerts  as  singer,  violinist,  accompanist, 
and  even  drummer.  He  did  not  finally  de- 
cide on  music  as  a  profession  until  1848, 
when  he  took  the  part  of  Elijah  in  a  per- 
formance of  that  oratorio  at  Basle,  and  his 
success  decided  his  future  career. 

Stockhausen's  singing  in  his  best  days 
must  have  been  wonderful.  Even  to  those 
who  heard  him  only  after  he  had  passed  his 
prime,  it  was  something  never  to  be  for- 
gotten. His  delivery  of  opera  and  oratorio 
music  was  superb  in  taste,  feeling,  and  ex- 
ecution, but  it  was  the  Lieder  of  Schubert 
and  Schumann  that  most  peculiarly  suited 
him,  and  these  he  delivered  in  a  truly  re- 
markable  way.       The   rich   beauty   of    the 


320  Famous  Singers. 

voice,  the  nobility  of  style,  the  perfect 
phrasing,  the  intimate  sympathy,  and  the 
intelligible  way  in  which  the  words  were 
given,  all  combined  to  make  his  singing  won- 
derful. His  highest  achievement  is  said  to 
have  been  his  delivery  of  the  part  of  Doctor 
Marianus,  in  the  third  part  of  Schumann's 
"  Faust." 

For  many  years  Stockhausen  has  been 
one  of  the  chief  vocal  teachers  of  Germany, 
and  has  recently  celebrated  his  golden  wed- 
ding to  the  musical  profession,  which  he 
formally  entered  in  1848. 

Although  not  an  opera  singer,  but  rather 
a  broad  musician,  the  name  of  Georg  Hen- 
schel  will  be  remembered  from  the  fact  that 
for  a  few  years  he  was  considered  one  of  the 
most  excellent  oratorio  and  concert  singers 
before  the  public.  He  was  bom  at  Breslau 
in  1850,  and  at  the  age  of  eleven  commenced 
his  studies  under  Doctor  Schaeffer.  A  year 
later   he   made   his   d^but    as   a  pianist   at 


Contraltos  and  Bassos.  32 1 

Berlin,  where  he  played  Weber's  Concerto. 
He  had  already  composed  a  good  deal  of 
music  and  shown  much  talent  in  that  direc- 
tion. In  1867  he  entered  the  conservatory 
at  Leipzig,  and  studied  under  Moscheles, 
Richter,  Reinecke,  and  Goetze.  After  spend- 
ing some  time  in  Weimar,  he  settled  in 
Berlin.  One  of  his  most  marked  successes 
was  in  1874,  at  the  Cologne  festival.  In 
1877  he  went  to  London,  where  he  soon 
acquired  a  great  reputation  as  a  bass  singer, 
and  in  1879  he  produced  the  Triumphal 
Hymn  of  Brahms. 

In  1880  he  visited  America  on  a  concert 
tour,  and  while  in  Boston  became  the  con- 
ductor of  the  Boston  Symphony  Orchestra, 
which  was  organized  and  established  during 
the  three  years  of  his  conductorship.  In 
1 88 1  he  married  Miss  Lillian  Bailey,  a  Bos- 
ton lady,  who  was  a  concert  singer  of  marked 
ability.  In  1884  he  returned  to  London, 
where   he  has  since  organized   the   London 


322  Famous  Singers. 

Symphony  concerts,  and  won  an  enviable 
position  in  the  musical  world. 

Myron  W.  Whitney,  who  was  born  in  1836 
at  Ashbury,  Mass.,  decided  at  an  early  age 
on  following  a  musical  career.  For  ten 
years  he  sang  in  concerts,  and  then  went  to 
Italy,  where  he  studied  under  Vannucini,  and 
later  in  London  under  Randegger.  He  now 
made  a  tour  of  Great  Britain,  and  at  the 
Birmingham  festival  sang  the  r61e  of  Elijah 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  make  an  immediate 
reputation  for  himself.  He  has  a  superb 
bass  voice,  which  under  long  and  careful 
training  became  flexible  and  even,  and  which 
extended  for  nearly  three  octaves.  After 
achieving  a  reputation  in  England  he  re- 
turned to  America,  and  from  1876  he  has 
sung  only  in  his  native  land,  where  his 
reputation  is  unexcelled. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Whitney  sang  in 
light  opera,  but  he  also  gave  an  interpre- 
tation of  the   King   in  "Lohengrin,"  under 


Contraltos  and  Bassos.  323 

the  baton  of  Theodore  Thomas,  when  the 
American  Opera  Company  was  floated,  which 
is  said  to  have  been  finer  than  any  heard  in 
this  country.  Of  late  years  Mr.  Whitney 
has  retired  from  the  stage  and  settled  in 
Boston,  where  he  teaches  singing. 

To  give  an  account  of  all  the  singers  who 
have  appeared  in  grand  opera  would  require 
several  volumes.  Of  American  singers  alone 
there  are  many  more  who  have  achieved 
fame  than  can  be  placed  in  this  little  book. 
Alwina  Valleria,  of  Baltimore,  was  well 
known,  and  is  now  married  and  settled  in 
England.  Emma  Juch,  Helene  Hastreiter, 
Marie  Litta,  Emma  Abbott,  Louise  Dotti 
are  all  of  American  origin  and  became  well 
known.  Margaret  Reed,  Suzanne  Adams, 
Susan  Strong  are  singers  whose  stars  are 
in  the  ascendent. 

As  time  passes  on,  the  number  of  singers 
whose  names  are  handed  down  as  "  famous  " 
is  very  small  in  proportion  to  the  number  of 


324  Famous  Singers. 

singers  who  come  before  the  public,  and  it 
is  possible  that  even  some  of  those  men- 
tioned in  this  book  may  become  dim  in  the 
distance  of  years. 


CHRONOLOGICAL    TABLE    OF 
FAMOUS    SINGERS. 

The  dates  in  italic  are  not  authenticated. 


Birth 


Re- 
tired 


Ferri,  Baldassare    .... 

Abell,  John 

Nicolini,  Nicolo  Grimaldi   . 
Leveridge,  Richard     .     .     . 
Tofts,  Mrs.  Katharine    .     . 
Epine,  Francesca  Margherita 
Valentini,  Valentino  Urbani 
Boschi,  Giuseppe   .... 
Bernacchi,  Antonio     .     .     . 
Galeratti,  Catherina  .     .     . 
Robinson,  Anastasia  .     .     . 
Bordoni,  Faustina  (Hasse) 
Cuzzoni,  Francesca  (Sandoni) 
Senesino,  Francesco  Bernardi 
Tesi,  Tramontini  Vittoria 
Durastanti,  Margherita  . 
Carestini,  Giovanni    .     . 
Farinelli  (Carlo  Broschi) 
Borosini,  Francesco   .     . 
Caffarelli,  Gaetano  Majorano 
Fenton,  Lavinia  (Duchess  of  Bolton) 
Fabri,  Annibale     .... 
Gizziello,  Gioacchino  Conti 
Monticelli,  Angelo  Maria    . 


1610 
1660 
1673 
1670 

? 

? 

? 

? 
1690 


? 
1700 
1700 
1680 
ibgo 

1695 
1705 

1705 
169s 

1703 
? 

1697 
1714 
1710 


162 1 
1682 
1694 
1695 
1703 
1704 
1707 
1711 
1712 
1714 
1715 
1716 
1719 
1719 
1719 
1720 
1721 
1722 

n^s 
1724 
1726 
1729 
1729 
1730 


1726 
1730 
1709 
1718 
1714 
1728 

1730 
1721 
1722 
1756 
1750 
1735 
n49 
1734 
1758 
1^62 
j> 

1750 
1731 

1753 


1680 
1716 

? 

1758 
1740 

? 

? 

? 

1756 
? 

1750 

1783 
1770 

1750 
1775 

1782 

1783 
1760 
1760 
1761 
1764 


325 


326 


Chronological  Table. 


D«but 


Re- 
tired 


Beard,  John 

Raff,  Anton 

Amorevoli,  Angelo 

Guarducci,  Tommasso  Toscano  . 

Guadagni,  Gaetano 

Gabrielli,  Catterina 

Mingotti,  Regina 

Ciprandi,  Ercole 

Arnould,  Madeleine  Sophie     .     . 

Calori,  Angiola 

Tenducci,  Giusto  Femandino  .     . 

Catley,  Anne 

Amici,  Anna  Lucia  de    .     .     .     . 

Manzuoli,  Giovanni 

Rauzzini,  Venanzio 

Pacchierotti,  Gasparo     .... 

Ansani,  Giovanni 

Allegranti,  Madalena  .... 
Rubinelli,  Giovanni  Battista  .  . 
Mara,  Gertrude  Elizabeth  .     .     . 

Lebnin,  Francesca 

Davies,  Cecilia 

Marchesi,  Liiigi 

Cavalieri,  Katharina 

Saint  Huberty,  Antoinette  C^cile 

Solie,  Jean  Pierre 

Kelly,  Michael 

Banti,  Brigitta  Giorgi  .... 
Adamberger,  Valentin    .... 

Babbini,  Matteo 

Crouch,  Mrs.  Anna  Maria  .     .     . 

Garat,  Pierre  Jean 

Storace,  Ann  Selina 

Sestini,  Giovanna 

Crescentini,  Girolano  .... 
Incledon,  Charles  Benjamin    .     . 

Bassi,  Luigi 

Vogl,  Johann  Michael  .... 


1717 
1714 
1716 
1720 
1725 
1730 
1728 

1738 
1744 
1732 
1736 

1745 
1740 

1725 
1747 
1744 
1750 


1753 
1749 
1756 
1752 

1755 
1761 
1756 

1755 
1764 

1759 
1743 
1754 
1763 
1764 
1766 
? 

1766 

1763 
1766 
1768 


1Z(^ 
738 
741 

745 
747 
747 
748 

754 
757 
758 
758 
762 

763 
764 

765 
769 
770 

771 
771 
771 
771 
773 
774 
775 
777 
778 
779 
779 
780 
77*0 
780 
? 

[780 
783 
783 
[784 
784 


1767 

1779 

? 

1771 
1784 
1780 
1787 
1765 
1778 
1783 
1791 
1784 
1789 
1771 

1796 

1800 . 

1799 

1800 

1800 

1790 

1791 

1806 

1793 
1789 

1826 

p 

■f 
1802 
1800 
1814 
1808 
1791 
1812 
1826 
1815 


Chronological  Table. 


1^7 


Re- 
tired 


Billington,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (nee 

Weichsell) 

Saint  Aubin,  Jeanne  Charlotte 

Schroeder  

Dickons,  Mrs.  (nee  Poole)  .... 

Braham,  John 

Bertinotti,  Teresa 

Lazzarini,  Gustavo 

Crivelli,  Gaetano 

Grassini,  Josephine 

Pellegrini,  Felice 

Catalan!,  Angelica 

Campenhout,  Fran5ois  van     .     .     . 

Siboni,  Giuseppe 

Velluti,  Giovanni  Battista  .... 

Tacchinardi,  Niccolo 

Galli,  Filippo 

Colbran  (Rossini),  Isabella  Angela  . 

Forti,  Anton 

Rubini,  Giovanni  Battista  .... 

Garcia,  Manuel  del  Popolo  Vicente 

Davide,  Giovanni 

Fodor-Mainvielle,  Josephine    .     .     . 

Pisaroni,  Benadetta  Rosamunda 

Stephens,  Catherine 

Lablache,  Luigi 

Begnis,  Giuseppe  de 

Begnis,  Signora  Claudine  Ronzi  de  . 

Brighenti,  Mme.  Maria 

Camporese,  Violanti 

Pasta,  Giuditta 

Donzelli,  Domenico 

Boccabadati,  L\xigia 

Tamburini,  Antonio 

Damoreau,  Laure  Cinthie  Montalant 

Sontag,  Henriette  (Countess  Rossi) 

Curioni,  Alberico 

Nourrit,  Adolphe 


1768 

1764 
1770 

1774 
1776 
1765 
1774 
1773 
1774 
1779 
1780 
1780 
1781 
1776 
1783 
1785 
1790 

1795 
1775 
1789 
1793 
1793 
1794 
1794 

1793 
1800 
1792 
1785 
1798 
1790 


1800 
1801 
1805 
ijgo 
1802 


1784 

786 

787 
787 
788 

789 
793 
794 
795 
795 
797 
797 
800 
[804 
804 
806 
807 
807 
808 
810 
810 
811 
812 
812 

813 

819 

814 

i8ib 

816 

816 

817 

818 

819 

820 

181S 

1821 


1809 

1818 
1822 
1852 
1823 
1802 
1829 
1817 
1829 
1828 
1827 
1818 
1829 
1831 
1830 
1824 
? 

1844 
1828 
1841 

1833 
1829 

'835 
1856 

? 

? 
1836 
1829 
1850 
1841 

? 

1859 

1846 

1854 
? 

1839 


181S 

1850 

1833 
1856 

1854 
? 

1836 
1850 
1832 
1849 
1848 

1839 
1861 
1850 
■853 
1845 
1859 
1854 
1832 
1851 
? 

1872 
1882 
1856 
1849 

1853 
? 

? 
1865 

1873 
1850 
1876 
1863 

1854 
> 

1839 


328 


Chronological  Table. 


Debut 


Be- 

tind 


Schroder-Devrient,  Wilhelmine 
Fischer-Achten,  Frau      .     .     . 

Unger,  Caroline 

Caradori-Allan,  Maria  Caterina 

Rosalbina 

Paton,  Mary  Anne     .     .     .     .     , 

Duprez,  Gilbert 

Gras,  Mme.  Julie  Aimee  Dorus 
Malibran,  Maria  Felicita     .     . 

Badiale,  Cesare 

Brambilla,  Marietta    .... 

Templeton,  John 

Staudigl,  Joseph 

Grisi,  Giulia , 

Albertazzi,  Emma  .... 
Seguin,  Arthur  Edward  Shelden 

Ronconi,  Giorgio 

Bishop,  Mme.  Anna  .... 

Persiani,  Fanny 

Stoltz,  Rosina 

Loewe,  Johanna  Sophie  .  . 
Frege,  Mme.  (Livia  Gerhard)  . 
Moriani,  Napoleone  .... 
Novello,  Clara  Anastasia  .  . 
Shaw,  Mary  (Mrs.  Alfred  Shaw) 

Poole,  Elizabeth 

Pischek,  Johann  Baptist  .  . 
Nau,  Maria  Dolores  Benedicta 

Josephina 

Seqmn,  Mrs.  (Ann  Childe) 
Castellan,  Jeanne  Anais  .  . 
Tichatschek,  Joseph  Alois  .  . 
Fraschini,  Gaetano  .... 
Viardot-Garcia,  Pauline  .  . 
Mario,  Chevaliere  di  Candia  . 
Belletti,  Giovanni  .... 
Roger,  Gustave  Hyppolite 
Frezzolini,  Erminia    .... 


804 
805 
805 

800 
802 
806 
807 
808 
800 
807 
802 
807 
812 
814 
809 
810 
814 
812 
815 

815 
818 
806 
818 
814 
820 
814 

818 
1818 
819 
807 
815 
821 
812 
813 
815 
818 


1821 
1821 
1821 

1822 
1822 
1825 
1825 
1825 
1827 
1827 
1828 
1827 
1829 
1830 
1831 
1831 
1831 
1832 
1832 
1832 
1832 
1833 
1833 
1834 
1834 
1835 

1836 
1836 
1836 
1837 
1837 
1837 
1838 
1838 


1847  i860 
1856,1896 
1840  1877 

1846  1865 
1844  1863 
1842  1 896 
1851  1896 
183611836 
1865  ' 
? 

1852 
1856 
1861 
1846 

? 

1874 

? 


1858 
1849 
1848 

? 
1847 
i860 

1843 
1870 
1863 

1856 

1859 
1870 
1870 
1870 
1867 
1863 
1859 


1865 

? 

1861 
1869 
1847 
1852 
1890 
1884 

1867 

? 

1866 

1847 
1878 

1876 
1873 


1885 


1838J1853 


1883 

1879 
1884 


Chronological  Table. 


329 


Re- 
tired 


Thillon,  Anna 

Lind-Goldschmidt,  Jenny    .... 

Harrison,  William 

Reeves,  John  Sims 

Gardoni,  Enrico 

Rudersdorff,  Mme.  Herminie       .     . 

Tamberlik,  Enrico 

Sainton-Dolby,  Charlotte  Helen  .     . 

Formes,  Karl 

Weiss,  Willoughby  Hunter     .     .     . 

Alboni,  Marietta 

Reichardt,  Alexander 

Wagner,  Johanna 

Ander,  Aloys . 

Gassier,  Edouard 

Hayes,  Catharine 

Formes,  Theodora 

Borghi,  Adelaide 

Bosio,  Angiolina 

Cruvelli,  Jeanne  Sophie  Charlotte   . 

Burde-Ney,  Jenny 

Pyne,  Louisa  Fanny 

Cabel,  Marie  Josephe  (nee  Dreu- 

lette)      

Carvalho,  Mme.  Marie  Caroline 

Felix 

Niemann,  Albert 

Tietiens,  Therese  Caroline  Johanna 
Nantier-Didier,  Constance  Betsy 

Rosabelle 

Stockhausen,  Julius 

Faure,  Jean  Baptiste 

Piccolomini,  Maria 

Parepa-Rosa,  Euphrosyne  de 

Boyesku 

Bettini,  Alessandro 

Wachtel,  Theodor 

Sedie,  Enrico  Delle 


1819 
1820 
1813 
1822 
1821 
1822 
1820 
1821 
1810 
1820 
1823 
1825 
1828 
1821 
1822 
1825 
1826 
1829 
1830 
1826 
1826 
1832 

1827 

1827 
1831 
1831 

1831 
1826 
1830 
1836 

1836 
1830 
1823 
1826 


1838 
1839 
1839 
1840 
1840 
1841 
1841 
1842 
1842 
1843 
1843 
1844 

1845 
1845 
1845 
1846 
1846 
1846 
1847 
1847 
1847 

1849 

1849 
1849 
1849 

1850 
1848 
1852 
1852 

1852 

1853 
1854 
1854 


1856 
1870 

? 

i8gi 

1874 
1872 
1877 
1870 


1871 
1857 
1 861 
1864 

1857 
1864 
1870 
1859 
185s 

1868 
1877 


1887 
1868 

1882 
1882 
1889 
1885 
1889 
1867 
1894 

1894 
1864 
1871 
1 861 


1887 
1877 


1870 
1863 
1873 

1870 


1859 

1886 

? 

1885 

189s 
1877 
1867 


1874 
1893 


330 


Chronological  Table. 


Re- 
tired 


Phillips,  Adelaide 

Wilt,  Marie 

Nicolini,  Ernest  Nicolas      .     .     . 

Betz,  Franz 

Rokitansky,  Victor  F.  von  .  .  . 
Peschka-Leutner,  Mme.  Minna    . 

Giuglini,  Antonio 

Fancelli,  Giuseppe 

Santley,  Charles 

Marimon,  Marie 

Artot,  Mme.  Marguerite  Josephine 

D.  M 

Naudin,  Emilio 

Whitney,  Myron  W 

Galli-Marie,  Mme.  Celestine    .     . 

Lucca,  Pauline 

Patti-Nicolini,  Mme.  Adelina  .  . 
Trebelli-Bettini,  Mme.  Zelia  .  . 
Sherrington,  Mme.  Lemmens  .     . 

Scaria,  Emil 

Krauss,  Marie  Gabrielle  .  .  . 
Foli,  Allan  James  (Foley)  .  .  . 
Agnesi,  Louis  Ferdinand  Leopold 
Capoul,  Joseph  Victor  Amedee  . 

Patti,  Carlotta 

Kellogg,  Clara  Louise    .... 

Murska,  lima  di 

Kraus,  Dr.  Emil 

Henschel,  Georg 

Nilsson,  Christine 

Matema,  Amalie  (Frau  Friedrich) 
Patey,  Janet  Monach      .... 

Vogl,  Heinrich 

Vogl,  Theresa  Thoma     .... 

Roze,  Marie 

Nachbaur,  Franz 

Lloyd,  Edward 

Adams,  Charles  R 


■834 
1834 
183s 
1836 

1839 
1826 
1836 
1834 
1839 

1835 
182 
1836 
1840 
1 841 

1843 
1838 
1834 
1838 
1842 
1841 
1833 
1839 
1840 
1842 
1836 
1840 
1850 

1843 
1847 
1842 

1845 
1846 
1846 

1835 
1845 


1854 
1857 

185s 
1856 
1856 
1856 

1857 
? 

1857 

1857 

1857 
1858 
1858 
1859 
1859 
1859 
1859 
i860 
i860 
i860 
1861 
1861 
1 861 
1861 
1861 
1862 

1862 
1864 
1864 
1865 
1865 
1865 
1865 
1865 
1866 
1866 


1881  1882 
1878  1891 
1878  1898 

1871 

1890 
1862  186'; 


1884 

1887 
1880 
1897 

1884 


1884 
? 


1S95 
1880 
1882 
1878 


1888 
1894 


1879 


Chronological  Table. 


331 


Re- 
tired 


Scalchi,  Sophia 

Brandt,  Marianne 

Gary,  Annie  Louise 

Lehmann,  Lilli 

Hauck,  Minnie 

Vaucorbeil,  Anna  Sternberg   .     .     . 

Heilbron,  Marie 

Karl,  Thomas 

Maurel,  Victor 

Gayarre,  Giuliano 

Del  Puente,  Parquale 

Schott,  Anton 

Sucher,  Rose  (Hasselbeck)  .  .  . 
Albani,  Marie  L.  C.  E.  Lajeunnesse 

(Mrs.  Ernest  Gye) 

Sterling,  Antoinette 

Campanini,  Italo 

Valleria,  Alvvina  Lohmann  .  .  . 
Pappenheim,  Mme.  Eugenie  .  .  . 
Abbott,  Emma  (Mrs.  Wetherell) 

Malten,  Therese 

McGuckin,  Barton 

Belocca,  Anna  di 

Reicher,  Hedwig 

Shakespeare,  William 

Thursby,  Emma 

Gaylord,  Mrs.  Julia 

Reszke,  Josephine  de 

Litta,  Marie 

De  Reszke,  Jean 

De  Reszke,  Edouard 

Klafsky,  Katarina 

Gerster,  Etelka 

Fursch-Madi,  Mme 

Sembrich,  Marcella 

Van  Zandt,  Marie 

Bispham,  David  Scull 

Nordica,  Giglia  (Lillian  Norton)  .     . 


1850  1866 


1842 
1846 
1848 
1852 

1845 
1849 
1847 
1845 
184 
? 

1846 
1850 


1867 
1867 
1868 


1850 
1851 
1846 

\i 
? 

1850 

1855 
1852 

i«54 

1853 
1849 
1857 
1852 
^8ss 
1856 
1852 
1855 
1855 
1856 

? 
1858 
1861 
1857 
1856 


li 

i{ 

/86<p 

i8yo 

1869 

1873 
1870 
1870 
1870 

1870 
1871 
1871 
1871 
1872 
1872 
1873 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1875 
1875 
1875 

1875 
1876 

1874 
1876 

1876 
1876 
1877 
1879 
1880 
1880 


1882 

1886 
1873 

i8(p 


1893 


1898 
1886 


1890 


1896 


1883 


1884 
1883 

1887 
i8g8 


1894 
i8go 


1896 
1894 


332 


Chronological  Table. 


Ee- 

tired 


L'Allemand,  Pauline  .... 
Nevada,  Emma  (Wixom)    .     . 

Plan9on,  Pol 

Juch,  Emma 

Calve,  Emma  (Roquer)  .  •  .     . 

Russell,  Ella 

Van  Dyk,  Ernest  Marie  Hubert 

Engel,  Marie 

Melba,  Nellie  (Mitchell)      .     . 

Temina,  Milka 

Eames,  Emma 

Sanderson,  Sybil 

Davies,  Ffran9on 

Delna,  Marie 

Brema,  Marie 


1862 
1862 
i860 
1863 
1866 
1862 
1861 


1864 

? 

1867 

1865 

? 

1875 


1880 

\i 

i8»i 

iX 

li 

\\ 

\\ 

1887 

1887 

\l 


1892 
1802 


INDEX. 


Abbott,     Emma,     195-199, 

323- 
Adams,  Charles  R.,  271. 
Adams,  Suzanne,  323. 
Adler-Devries,  Madame,  289. 
Agnesi,  312,  313. 
Agniez.     See  Agnesi. 
Albani,  Marie,  141,  187-195, 

213,  225. 
Alboni,  Marietta,  89-94, 1 29, 

144,  300. 
Alvary,  Max,  280. 
Amoldson,  Sigrid,  252-253. 
Amould,  Sophie,  20-22,  23. 
Art8t,  Madame,  11 3-1 14. 

Bailey,  Lillian,  321. 

Belocca,  Anna  de,  308-309. 
Berthald,  Barron,  228. 
Betz,  122. 
BiUington,    Mrs.    Elizabeth, 

27.  29-33,  34,  38,  59. 
Bispham,    David,    293-295, 

312. 
Bordogni,  43. 
Bordoni,  Faustina,  14-16. 
Boschi,  Giuseppe,  14. 
Bosio,  Angiolina,  88-89. 


Braham,  John,  35-37.  95>  96- 
Brandt,  Marianne,  272,  302- 

304- 
Brema,  Marie,  272,  310-311. 
Brignoli,  165-167,  260,  261, 

306. 
Broccolini,  Giovanni  Chiari 

di,3i3- 
Broschi.     See  Farinelli. 

Calv^,  Emma,  115,  128,  226, 
227,  236-243,  257-258. 

Campanini,  Italo,  263,  267- 
270,  306,  307. 

Camporese,  Violante,  41. 

Capoul,  Joseph  Victor  Ami- 
dee,  262-263,  268. 

Carvalho,  Marie  Caroline 
Felix  Miolan,  106-107. 

Cary,  Annie  Louise,  145,186, 
254,  263,  268,  271,  304- 
308. 

Catalani,  Angelica,  37-40, 
116,  131. 

Celli,  Filippo,  59. 

Clarke,  John.  See  Brocco- 
lini, Giovanni  Chiari  di. 

Colbran,  Isabella  Angela,  44. 


333 


334 


Index. 


Crescenrini,   Girolamo,    28- 

29.  33.  36,  44- 
Cuzzoni,    Francesca,  14-15, 
116. 

Damoreau,  Laure,  41, 
Davies,   Ffran9on,  291-293. 
Devrient,  78. 
Devrient,  Madame  Schroder. 

See     Schroder  -  Devrient, 

Madame. 
Dotti,  Louise,  323. 
Duprez,  Gilbert,  58, 106-107, 

zn- 

Durastanti,  Margherita,  13. 

Eames,  Emma,  226, 254-258, 

3^3- 
Engle,  Marie,  251-252,  254. 

Fancelli,  261-262. 
Farinelli,  16-17,  131. 
Faure,    Jean    Baptiste,    99, 

106,  no,  285-287. 
Fenton,  Lavinia,  16. 
Fischer,  Emil,  314. 
Fodor,  Josephine,  41. 
Foli,  312. 
Formes,  Karl,  100-103. 

Gabrielli,    Caterina,    18-20, 

116. 
Galassi,  291. 
Galli-Marie,  Madame,    114- 

115,  175.240. 
Garcia,  Madame,  50. 
Garcia,   Manuel,  43,  49-51, 

54,  57.  83,  144,  284,  297, 

314. 
Garcia,  Pauline.     See  Viar- 

dot-Garcia,  Madame. 


Gardoni,  Italo,  89. 
Gassier,  300. 

Gayarre,  Madame,  235,  289. 
Gerster,    Etelka,    174,    187, 

201-209,     213,    291,   307, 

308. 
Gilbert,  Zelia.    See  Trebelli- 

Bettini,  Madame. 
Ginglini,  Antonio,  267,  300. 
Grassini,    Giuseppa,   33-35, 

59- 
Grisi,  Madame  Giulietta,  58- 

63,  70,  74-75.  77.  79.  81, 
88,  89,  104,  107,  116,  143, 

144.  273- 
Guglielmi,  Giacomo,  59. 

Hastreiter,  Helen,  323. 
Hauk,  Minnie,  128, 145,  181- 

185,  186,240,  254,260. 
Henschel,  Georg,  319-321. 

Ibos,  Henry  Guillaume,  283. 
Incledon,  Charles  Benjamin, 
35-36,  144. 

Juch,  Emma,  323. 

Kalisch,  Paul,  180-181. 
Kellogg,  Clara  Louise,  145, 

147-150,     186,    198,   254, 

271. 
Krauss,  Marie  Gabrielle,  146. 

Lablache,  Luigi,  60,  65,  67- 

70,  104. 
Laborde,  238. 
Lajeunesse,    Marie    Louise 

Cecelia   Emma.     See  Al- 

bani,  Madame. 
La  Maupin,  Madame,  16. 


Index. 


335 


Lassalle,  226. 

La2zarini,  Gustavo,  33. 

Lehmann,  Lilli,  178-181,272. 

L'Epine,  Margarita  de,  12. 

Le  Rochois,  Marthe,  16. 

Levasseur,  43. 

Lind,  Jenny,  47,  81-88,  93, 

116,    124,    131,    143,    167, 

174,  211,  253,  273,  297. 
L'Isle,    Mecene   Marie    de, 

114-115. 
Litta,  Marie,  254,  271,  323. 
Lloyd,  Edward,  282-283. 
Lohne-Klafsky,    Katharina, 

200-201. 
Lucca,     Pauline,     1 16-127, 

140,  144,  150,  263. 
Lussan,  Zelie  de,  258-259. 

Malibran,  Maria  Felicien, 
43,  46-47,  49-53.  54,  55, 
61,  77,  81,  107,  131,  143, 

273- 
Malten,  Therese,  199-200. 
Mara,   Gertrude    Elizabeth, 

25-28,  38,  59. 
Marchesi,  Luigi,  28,  33. 
Marchesi,  Madame,  202,  231, 

238. 
Marimon,  Madame,  289. 

Mario, ,  17-18. 

Mario,  Cavaliere  di  Candia, 

60,  61,  62,  63,  70-76,  104, 

266,  267,  299. 
Masini,  261-262. 
Materna,   Amalie,   168-175, 

180,  200,  272,  280,  315. 
Maurel,    Victor,     263,    268, 

287-290. 
Melba,    Madame,   226,  227, 

243-248,  258,  275. 


Mingotti,  Caterina,  16. 
Mitchell,  Nellie.  See  Melba, 

Madame. 
Murska,    lima   di,  150-157, 

213,  263. 

Nantier  -  Didier,     Madame, 

no. 
Nevada,  Emma,   219,   230- 

236,  254,  261,  289. 
Nicolini,    Ernest,    no,    139, 

260-261. 
Nicolini,  Nicolino  Grimaldi, 

17-18. 
Niemann,  Albert,    264-265, 

272. 
Nilsson,  Christine,  99,  140, 

144,    150,     157-168,    174, 

184,    193,    211,  253,   263, 

268,  306. 
Nordica,     Lillian,    220-230, 

254,  258,  272,  275. 
Nourrit,  Adolf,  57-58. 

Pacchierotti,  Gasparo,22-23. 

Padilla-y-Ramos,  114. 

Parepa  -  Rosa,  Euphrosine, 
111-113,  174,197,  305- 

Pasta,  Giuditta,  39,  41-44, 
61,  77,  107,  116,  203. 

Patti,  Adelina,  116,  120,  124, 
126,  127-142,  144,  145, 
150,  152,  157,  161,  164- 
165,  174,  187,  204-205, 
213,  218,  220,  240,  243, 
245,  248,  260,  261,  276, 
301,  308. 

Patti,  Carlotta,  146-147. 

Persiani,  Fanny,  79-80,  88. 

Peschka-Leutner,  Madame, 
113. 


336 


Index. 


Phillips,  Adelaide,  145,  186, 

254,  296-298. 
Piccolomini,  Maria,  iii. 
Pisaroni,    Benedetta    Rosa- 

munda,  41. 
Plan9on,  Pol,  226,  317-318. 
Puente,  Guiseppe  del,  263, 

291. 
Puget,  238. 

Ravalli,  260,  291. 
Reed,  Margaret,  323. 
Reeves,  John  Sims,  95-97, 

98,  283,  294,  313. 
Reszke,    Edouard  de,    226, 

272,  281,  289,  315-317- 
Reszke,    Jean   de,   98,    226, 

227,    228,    272,    273-277, 

281,289,  315. 
Reszke,  Josephine   de,  281. 
Robinson,    Anastasia,     13- 

14. 
Roger,   Gustave   Hyppolite, 

94-95- 
Ronconi,  Georgio,  89,  104- 

105. 
Roquer,  Emma.    See  Calve, 

Emma. 
Rotoli,  Augusto,  75. 
Roze,  Marie,  175-178. 
RubinelU,  Giovanni  Battista, 

22-23. 
Rubini,  Giambattista,  60,63- 

65,  73,  131. 
Russell,  Ella,  251. 

Salla,  Mile.,  309. 
Sanderson,    Sybil,   248-251, 

254- 
Santley,  Charles,  112,  284- 
285,  300,  313. 


Santley,  Edith,  285. 

Sarti,  28. 

Scalchi,  Sofia,  226,  228,  291, 

300-302. 
Scaria,  Emil,  173,  280,  314- 

315- 

Schott,  Anton,  279. 

Schroder  -  Devrient,  Ma- 
dame, 77-78. 

Seguin,  Elizabeth,  iii. 

Sembrich,  Marcella,  140- 
141,  212-214. 

Senesino,  14. 

Sontag,  Henrietta,  39,  45- 
47,  77,  80,  88,  144. 

Staudigl,      Joseph,     48-49, 

lOI. 

St.  Huberty,  Antoinette 
Cecile  Clavel,  24-25. 

Stockhausen,  Julius,  no, 
319-520. 

Strong,  Susan,  323. 

Tacchinardi,  79. 

Tamagno,     Francisco,    131, 

280-282. 
Tamberlik,   Enrico,  97-100, 

267. 
Tamburini,  Antonio,  60,  65- 

67. 
Tenduccini,  30. 
Thoma,  Theresa.    See  Vogl, 

Theresa. 
Tichatschek,   Joseph  Alois, 

104. 
Tietiens,    Theresa    Carolin 

Johanna,  106-109,  S^o- 
Todi,  28. 

Tofts,  Katharine,  13. 
Trebelli  -  Bettini,     Madame, 

298-300. 


Index. 


337 


Valleria,  Alwina,   254,   291, 

323- 
Van    Dyck,    Ernest    Marie 

Hubert,  250,  277-279. 
Van  Rooy,  283. 
Van  Zandt,  Marie,  215-219, 

254. 
Verger,  306. 
Viardot-Garcia,  Madame,  43, 

49.  53-57.79.95.  107,114. 

303- 
Vogl,  Theresa,  266. 


Vogl,  Heinrich,  265-266, 
272. 

Wachtel,  Theodore,  no, 
112,  122,  263-264. 

Weichsel.     See  Billington. 

Whitney,  Myron  W.,  313, 
319,  322-323. 

Winkelmann,  Hermann,!  73, 
272,  279-280,  315. 

Wixom,  Emma.  See  Ne- 
vada, Emma. 


HrOO 


THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara 


1 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW. 


CIRC.  AFTER     JAN  1  S  197' 

MAR  23  198^  y 


ivui  »^ 


3  1205  00823  0409 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A     000  634  456     8 


•■•:    "i 


r      A  .''\r>t 


